
Class JB>Sj55i 
Book__J<4E__ 



, \ 




' Look at the beautiful bow and arrows.*' p. 12. 



KENNETH FORBES: 



OR, 



FOURTEEN WAYS OF STUDYING THE 
BIBLE. 



"Comparing spiritual things with spiritual." — 1 CoR,ii. 13. 



PHILADELPHIA: 
AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, 

1122 CHESTNUT STREET. 
NEW YORK DEPOSITORY : 375 BROADWAY. 



$5551 



Jfcg- iVb 6oofcs are published by the American Sunday - School 
Union without the sanction of the Committee of Publication, consisting 
of fourteen members, from the following denominations of Christians, 
viz.: Baptist, Methodist, Congregational, Episcopal, Presbyterian, 
Lutheran, and Reformed Butch. Not more than three of the members 
can be of the same denomination, and no book can be published to which 
any member of the Committee sh€dl object. 



PREFACE. 



The wish, is still repeatedly expressed by 
youthful mothers that there were a greater 
supply than has even yet been issued, of books 
fitted for the Sabbath-reading of those who, 
as young children, need something of the nar- 
rative kind to interest them, while, as intelli- 
gent children, they need something to instruct 
them. What they want, therefore, are books 
which may at the same time attract their atten- 
tion and reward it, — above all, books which 
shall lead them to the Bible, and not draw them 
from it. It is the knowledge of this desire 
which has led to the following detailed account 
of lessons that have been found useful as an 
introduction to a more systematic study of the 
Bible. 

It will be seen that the parent whose efforts 
are thus described was wont to talk fully as 

1* 5 



b PREFACE. 

much as to catechize ; but this was because 
she had around her a little audience of her 
own training. She had deemed it wise to 
prepare them for a habit of attention to sanc- 
tuary-services, by early accustoming them to 
listen to the loving tones of a mother's voice ; 
and her ever-watchful eyes could clearly see 
whether the interest of her youthful charge 
was sustained, or whether it was needful to 
revive it by the timely interposing of a ques- 
tion. 






CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Narrative ; or, The Bow and Arrows 9 



CHAPTER II. 

Word by Word; or, The Flower Dissected 32 

CHAPTER III. 

Separate Clauses; or, The Apple of the Eye... 50 

CHAPTER IV. 
Parallel Clauses; or, The Longing Mind 69 

CHAPTER Y. 

Contrasted Clauses; or, The Renewed Heart... 89 

CHAPTER VI. 

A Single Verse; or, The Oasis in the Desert.. Ill 

7 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Parallel Verses; or, The Disappointment and 

the Promise 129 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Contrasted Verses; or, The Number of the 

Stars 148 

CHAPTER IX. 

Successive Verses; or, Mark the Connection... 165 

CHAPTER X. 

Quoted Verses ; or, Prophecy Fulfilled 185 

CHAPTER XI. 
The Gospel Key; or, The Two Testaments 202 

CHAPTER XII. 

The Scope ; or, The Two Parables 219 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The Occasion; or, The Removal of the Ark... 240 

CHAPTER XIV. 

The Analogy of Faith; or, Sin Covered 263 



KENNETH FORBES. 



CHAPTER I. 

the narrative; or, the bow and arrows. 

A tender and loving, sensible and judi- 
cious, pious and prayerful mother was Mrs. 
Forbes. For her three elder children she 
had a governess in the house, because her 
time was not always at her own command, 
so that if their education had depended 
entirely on herself it could not have been 
carried on with the desired regularity. 
There was, however, one subject on which 
she would not leave it to any one else to 
teach them. She felt it was her own duty 
and her own privilege to lead them on in 
the knowledge of God's word and of the 
way to heaven. Every morning after break- 
fast, if the weather was fine, they were sent 



10 KENNETH FORBES. 



out to secure their first walk; and by the 
time they returned, with rosy faces and joy- 
ous hearts, their mother had finished her 
little matters of housewifery, and w^as ready 
to meet them in the dining-room, to have 
what they called their " Bible Class at 
Home." She had a plan for the regular 
reading of God's holy book with them, that 
they might learn to know something about 
the order in which its chapters and verses 
follow each other. But she did not tie her- 
self down to this as a fixed rule for every 
day ; and it often happened that she had an 
interesting Bible lesson for them which she 
had chosen expressly because of some little 
event that had happened the day before, or 
even that very morning. 

As the clock struck ten, one beautiful 
autumn day, Mrs. Forbes came down, and 
found Constance and Ella in their places, 
but Kenneth was missing. He had been 
sent on a message to his grandfather's 
house, and it was quite time for him to 
have come back. If Kenneth had been a 
little boy that did not like his Scripture- 
readings, his mother would have had the 
grief of thinking that he had loitered pur- 



THE NARRATIVE. 11 



posely, to put off the time, and so kept out 
of the way. Happily such was not the case. 
Though he had his faults, this was not one 
of them. Mrs. Forbes well knew that he 
was always eager for the coming of that 
happy hour when she was to explain some 
portion of the precious Bible. Though she 
was surprised at his absence, she felt quite 
satisfied, and only said to the girls, "I sup- 
pose grandfather has been detaining your 
brother to-day : we must this once wait a 
few minutes for him, as I do not think he 
would be late if he could help it." 

It was not long before he came. In a few 
minutes he was seen racing up the gravel 
walk, with something under his arm ; then 
he flew across the hall, hung up his hat, 
and burst into the room. " Oh, mother!" 
he cried, "I am so grieved ! It is past ten 
o'clock, and it is all my own fault; but let 
me tell you about it afterwards : it would 
shorten our time now." 

"No," said Mrs. Forbes: "if you tell us 
at once you will get the matter off your 
mind, and your sisters will not be wonder- 
ing what has kept you." 

"Very well, dear mother," said the little 



12 KENNETH FORBES. 



boy: " I will tell you liow it was. You see, 
grandfather is always giving me some- 
thing : look at the beautiful bow and 
arrows he bought for me yesterday ! I was 
so delighted when I saw them ! And as 
soon as he gave me leave to try them on 
the lawn, I ran to the clock and saw I had 
more than half an hour to spare before I 
needed to start for home. But then I was 
so pleased with shooting my new arrows 
that I had no idea how fast the time was 
going. I did not forget about the clock, 
for I kept thinking of it all along ; but 
when I went to see if the time was not 
nearly up, I found I had been three-quarters 
of an hour at play, and that I could not get 
here by ten, let me be ever so quick. I was 
so surprised and so sorry !" 

His frank and noble countenance was not 
overcast with the slightest shade either of 
fear or of self-reproach; for he knew he 
had not meant to be late ; he knew he was 
making no false excuse, and he knew his 
mother would see how the mistake had 
occurred. His hopes were realized, when 
she smilingly said, " Your grandfather is 
indeed kind ; and you will not be unpunc- 



THE NARRATIVE. 13 



tual another time, if from to-day's expe- 
rience you learn how very fast the minutes 
always seem to fly when our attention is 
engrossed in what we are doing. "We will 
look at your bow and arrows by-and-by, 
and watch your skill with them in the after- 
noon. In the mean while, let us hasten to 
our work, and see what we can learn from 
the new present you have received." 

"From a bow and arrows, mother?" 
cried all three, taking their seats : " surely 
there is nothing in the Bible about a bow 
and arrows !" 

" Indeed there is ; — a beautiful and in- 
structive story, too. You shall read it pre- 
sently, when I have asked you one or two 
questions. Who succeeded Elijah in the 
office of prophet?" 

"Elisha," answered all the children at 
once. 

" And can you tell me of any of the mi- 
racles Elisha was enabled to work?" 

Ella. He healed ISTaaman of a leprosy. 

Constance. Yes ; and he raised the Shu- 
nammite's son to life. 

Kenneth He multiplied the widow's oil, 
2 



14 KENNETH EORBES. 



too. And was it not he. who healed the 
waters at Jericho ? 

"Yes: you remember these events be- 
cause we have talked about them. You 
see, God greatly honoured him through his 
lifetime. But now I am intending to tell 
you of an event that occurred just before 
his death, when he was an old man more 
than ninety years of age. About seventy 
years had passed away since he was ap- 
pointed to the prophet's office. He had 
lived in the reigns of Ahab, Ahaziah, Jo- 
ram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Jehoash, — six 
kings. Wicked kings they had all been; 
but Elisha had not followed their bad 
example. Many attempts had been made 
to take away his life ; but no dangers could 
make him step out of the path of duty. At 
the time of which we are going to speak, 
his days of active service were ended. He 
was no longer able to go from place to 
place on God's errands. His last sickness 
had seized him. If you could have looked 
into his house at Samaria, and if you could 
have gone into that quiet room, with its 
two windows looking out in different direc- 



THE NARRATIVE. 15 



tions, there you might have seen him lying 
on his death-bed." 

Constance. May I stop you, mother, to 
ask whether there were really two windows 
looking different ways, or whether you are 
just putting that in of your own head? 

"I have a good reason for thinking there 
were as many as two, and that they were 
not both on the same side of the room. 
You shall try to find out presently what led 
me to this opinion." 

Ella. Oh, mother ! I should like to have 
seen him and heard him talk. I like to 
fancy the room he was in, now that you 
have described it, — -especially as it is all true. 

" Well, you would have been sorry to see 
him so feeble and helpless ; but yet, when 
you beheld his fine benevolent face, you 
could have known by his calm look and 
peaceful smile that the faithful prophet still 
enjoyed the presence and blessing of his 
faithful God. And, suppose you could have 
talked to him : what would you like to have 
asked him about?" 

Ella. About his miracles. 

"And you would doubtless have found 
him ready to speak of these, for he would 



16 KENNETH FORBES. 



have given all the honour of them to God. 
Pleasant, however, as it might be for us to 
linger at his bedside, we cannot remain 
there undisturbed. Footsteps are heard ap- 
proaching ; the door of his room is opened, 
and we must stand aside to let the stranger 
pass. Who is it? No less a person than 
Joash, the king of Israel. We are sur- 
prised to see him there ; but we cannot ask 
the reason of his coming. We can only 
guess that either he has come of his own 
accord, as soon as he heard of Elisha's ill- 
ness, or, more likely, because Elisha has 
sent for him to make known to him some 
message from God. We cannot stay longer 
in the room : the king and the prophet 
must be left to have their interview alone. 
After a time the king retires : he has been 
weeping ; and there is also a little gloom on 
his countenance, as if something had vexed 
and disappointed him. I am sure you would 
like to know what passed while he was in 
that chamber of sickness. Then open your 
Bibles at 2 Kings xiii., and read from the 
fourteenth verse to the end of the nine- 
teenth." 
• Kenneth bes;an : then Constance ; and 



THE NARRATIVE. 17 



Ella. Then it was Kenneth's turn again. 
So they read verse by verse as follows : — 

" Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sick- 
ness whereof he died. And Joash the king 
of Israel came down unto him, and wept 
over his face, and said, my father ! my 
father ! the chariot of Israel, and the horse- 
men thereof! 

"And Elisha said nnto him, Take bow 
and arrows : and he took unto him bow and 
arrows. 

"And he said to the king of Israel, Put 
thine hand upon the bow : and he put his 
hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands 
upon the king's hands. 

"And he said, Open the window east- 
ward : and he opened it. Then Elisha said, 
Shoot: and he shot. And he said, The 
arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the 
arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou 
shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou 
have consumed them. 

"And he said, Take the arrows: and he 
took them. And he said unto the king of 
Israel, Smite upon the ground: and he 
smote thrice, and stayed. 

"And the man of God was wroth with 

B 2* 



18 KENNETH EOKBES. 



him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten 
five or six times : then hadst thou smitten 
Syria till thou hadst consumed it : whereas 
now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." 

"Oh!" said Ella, "that is a beautiful 
story, and so plain ! It seems as if I had 
seen it all happen, now that I have read it." 

"And I have found out," remarked Con- 
stance, "why mother said there were two 
windows in the room ; because if there had 
been but one it would not have been said, 
4 Open the window eastward.' ' 

"Mother," asked Kenneth, "how many 
things are you going to make us remember 
this story by?" 

"Are you wanting some 'pegs to hang 
your ideas on' ? I think you may find four 
here : the king's grief; the king's obe- 
dience ; the king's reward ; and the king's 
remissness. What was the first?" 

Constance. The king's guief. He wept 
because Elisha was going to die. 

"He thought of the great loss the pro- 
phet's death would be to the whole king- 
dom of Israel ; and he expressed his grief by 
saying, * my father ! my father ! the cha- 
riot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof!' ' 



THE NARRATIVE. 19 



"What had Elisha to do with chariots 
and horses?" asked little Ella. "Does it 
mean that he was going up to heaven in a 
chariot of fire, like Elijah?" 

"No, my love : the king was saying that 
Elisha was like chariots and horsemen for 
the defence of the country." 

Kenneth now inquired whether there 
were not some w 7 ords like these in the 
account of Elijah's translation; and Mrs. 
Forbes pointed them out in 2 Kings ii. 12, 
adding, "I dare say this is what Ella was 
thinking about. You see, the very same 
words were there used by Elisha to describe 
his master ; and he had so truly received of 
Elijah's spirit that now they were used to 
describe himself. Both these prophets had 
many a time saved their country from ruin. 
Elisha had again and again delivered it 
from the Syrians, who fought against it. 
And, just as a nation generally trusts for 
success against its enemies to the number 
of war-chariots and horsemen that it can 
bring into the field of battle, so, for years 
past, the people of Israel had derived their 
safety from the wonder-working power given 
to this man of God. No wonder Joash 



20 KENNETH FORBES. 



wept; but he had forgotten that what 
Elisha had done had been done by God's 
help, and that, though Elisha might die, 
God would live forever. "Was Joash likely 
to remember this ?" 

Constance. No : he was a wicked king. 

" And perhaps a secret sense of his wick- 
edness added to his grief. If he wept to 
think he was going to lose so powerful a 
protector, his tears might fall the faster 
when he remembered how he had slighted 
the prophet's warnings and turned a deaf 
ear to his teachings. Oh, it is a bitter, bit- 
ter grief to see a father, or a mother, or a 
teacher, lying at the point of death, and at 
the same time to hear an accusing conscience 
whisper that all the instructions of that dying 
relative or friend have been unheeded ! I 
have better hopes of you, my children ; but 
let the tears of king Joash be your warning. 

Let not such a sorrow as his ever be vour's. 

*/ 

It need not be your's. It will not be your's, 
if you begin at once to practise every lesson 
as soon as it has been taught you. But 
what more was I to tell you about?" 

Kenneth. The king's obedience was the 
next thing. 



THE NARRATIVE. 



"Yes; sorrow had softened his heart for 
the time : he was ready just now to do any 
thing Elisha bade him. Yon know my 
favourite motto, 'Keady obedience/ How 
many examples of it have we in these 
verses ? Name them." 

Kenneth enumerated them: — "He took 
the bow and arrows ; he put his hand upon 
the bow ; he opened the window ; he shot ; 
he took more arrows ; and he smote on the 
ground. Six times he obeyed." 

" See what unquestioning obedience this 
was. He never once stopped to ask, ' Why 
am I to do this V but when told to do it, 
he did it at once. Yet there was another 
thing still more remarkable. You read 
just now, that when Joash 'put his hand 
upon the bow x , Elisha put his hands upon 
the king's hands.' Would this seem to be 
of any use ? No : the old prophet was so 
feeble from age and from sickness that his 
strength could not have sufficed to shoot an 
arrow ; and the young king was so strong 
and vigorous that he did not need any help. 
It seemed a strange thing that Elisha should 
thus act, as if meaning to aid him. But I 
will explain to you how this was. It was 



22 KENNETH FORBES. 



to teach the king that he could do nothing 
of himself. The prophet's hand guiding 
him was to be to him an emblem of the 
prophet's God strengthening him. I do 
not know whether he understood it or not ; 
but we see that he submitted to it very 
quietly. He did not shake off Elisha's 
hand, and proudly say that he could manage 
the bow by himself. No : he was in what 
is commonly called a ' childlike spirit;' that 
means, the spirit we expect to see in a 
child, — the spirit that is most becoming 
and suitable in a child. I am sorry to say 
little children do not always show this dis- 
position. Shall I give you some instances ? 
It is not long since I wished to show a little 
girl the best way of beginning a piece of 
work ; but she took her needle, and, with a 
toss of her head, told me she knew very 
well how to do it in her own way, and that 
she did not care about a better." 

Constance blushed, for she knew whom 
her mother meant. 

" And I remember, too, a little boy whose 
teacher had set him a difficult .copy of a 
tree to draw from, and was then going to 
put his hand in a right position, and stand 



THE NARRATIVE. 23 



by to teach him with what action of the 
fingers to produce the touch that represents 
the jagged and irregular foliage of the oak. 
But he scorned ' to be made a baby of;' he 
pettishly said he could do it quite well 
alone : so his teacher left him to himself, 
and fine work he made of it, the rounded 
masses of the ash being joined on to the 
gnarled oak-branches." 

It was Kenneth's turn to look ashamed. 

" Ah, my dear children !" continued Mrs. 
Forbes, "look into your own hearts, and 
you will see it is pride that shows itself in 
thus disdaining help. Eemember that pride 
is a very hateful thing. Strive to put it far 
from you. Think of king Joash, and re- 
solve to be childlike and submissive. Let 
us go on to the next thing I mentioned." 

Constance. You said the king's reward ; 
but I do not exactly see what reward he got. 

"His reward came in this way. It was 
not in vain that he opened the window; 
not in vain that he took the bow and 
arrows ; not in vain that he placed the 
arrow on the string and shot it. As soon 
as he had done so, did not Elisha tell the 
reason why all this had been commanded?" 



24 KENNETH FORBES. 



Kenneth. Yes : lie said it was an emblem 
of God's delivering them from the Syrians. 

" Exactly. The window had been opened 
eastward, because that window looked out 
on the part of the country that the Syrians 
had gained possession of. The king was 
ordered to take bow and arrows, because 
it was by lighting he should subdue his 
enemies. And the first arrow he shot was 
called 'the arrow of the Lord's deliverance/ 
as a promise that God would make him 
victorious. "Was this just such a promise 
as he needed at the time ?" 

Kenneth Yes : when Elisha was dying 
he would be glad to find that God would 
still help him. 

"And do you see now, Constance, how 
this was a reward for the king's obe- 
dience Q " 

Constance. Yes, I think I do ; because 
Elisha could not have said, " The arrow of 
the Lord's deliverance," if Joash had not 
first obeyed and shot his arrow. 

" Quite right ; and this is particularly 
worth noticing, because it is the only in- 
stance recorded in which Joash obeyed the 
voice of God. Both before and after that 



THE NARRATIVE. 25 



time he served idols. So that this was 
only an act of outward submission, after all. 
But yet, so far as it went, God graciously 
accepted it, and made his outward obe- 
dience an occasion for granting him a pro- 
mise of outward prosperity. This shows us 
how ready God is to notice even the faintest 
gleam of any good thing that there may be 
in our heart or in our conduct. To those 
who are trying to do right, there is joy in 
the thought that God is watching them. 
Let us remember this, that if God is always 
looking down upon us, and seeing all the 
good and all the evil we do, he is not look- 
ing out purposely for our sins, but he is 
watching, as it were, with the hope of seeing 
that in which he can take delight. If you 
turn to the fourteenth Psalm, you will see 
a proof of this in the second verse : — ' The 
Lord looked down from heaven upon the 
children of men ;' — and what for ? Was it to 
see how many there were that forsook him 
and hated him?" 

Mia. No : " to see if there were any that 
did understand and seek God." 

" And so it is, my children, if he sees either 
of you beginning to seek him and trying 

3 



26 KENNETH FORBES. 



more and more each day to keep his laws. 
He well knows all your efforts to please 
him ; and, though he also sees in you many 
sins and short-comings, yet these he is ready 
to forgive for Jesus Christ's sake. We must 
not talk any longer about this now. Only 
letyour's be a better obedience than that of 
Joash, — an obedience from the heart ; and 
your's will be a better reward than his. 
But Joash did not get all the reward he 
might have had : and this brings us to the 
fourth and last thing you were to re- 
member." 

Kenneth. The king's remissness. 

"He smote on the ground thrice only, 
and then he stayed. There were more 
arrows in his quiver. Elisha had not said, 
' Stay thine hand.' What could make him 
leave off so suddenly? Had it not been 
explained to him that each arrow he shot 
was an arrow signifying deliverance for his 
nation? Would you not have expected 
that, knowing this, he would eagerly shoot 
again and again, till all his arrows were 
spent, or till the prophet ordered him to 
stop ? It is indeed surprising that he was 
so soon weary when such a reward had 



THE NARRATIVE. 27 



been set before him. "Was any notice taken 
of his conduct ?" 

Ella. The man of God was wroth with 
him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten 
five or six times. 

"Well, then, if Elisha, 'the man of God,' 
was angry, it must have been because he 
saw that what appeared to be only a mis- 
take in Joash proceeded really from a sin- 
ful feeling in his heart. What could that 
sinful feeling have been ? Probably mingled 
thoughts rushed at once into his mind. He 
may have yielded suddenly to the pride 
which till that moment he had been check- 
ing. He may have thought it looked foolish 
for a king to be shooting arrows out of a 
window, like a child at play. And he may 
have fancied that all this was useless ; for 
that if he was to conquer the Syrians he 
should succeed in that just as well, without 
sending forth arrow after arrow till the pro- 
phet was pleased to bid him give over. But 
I think the chief reason was, that he secretly 
disbelieved the promise given to him. If 
he had fully taken the prophet at his word, 
and had felt quite assured that these arrows 
were really signs of his future victories, 



28 KENNETH FORBES. 



then lie would have been too much in ear- 
nest to trouble himself about the strange- 
ness of what Elisha had set him to do. He 
became careless, because he was unbe- 
lieving. In what way was his unbelief 
punished?" 

Kenneth. Elisha said that if he had smit- 
ten five or six times he should have smitten 
Syria till he had consumed it ; whereas now 
he should smite it but thrice. 

" This was the last prediction Elisha 
uttered. Soon he died, and was buried; 
but when he was slumbering in the grave, 
the words he had spoken found their fulfil- 
ment. Look at the twenty-fifth verse : 
there you will see that ' three times,' and 
three times only, ' did Joash beat the king 
of Syria.' He recovered the cities of Is- 
rael ; but he was not allowed to see the de- 
struction of his enemies. This is the end 
of our story. 

"We must not leave off, however, with- 
out asking what we can learn from the 
king's remissness. As Joash had foes, so 
have you. Your's are spiritual enemies ; 
enemies of the soul ; sins that fight against 
your best welfare ; and if they lead you 



THE NARRATIVE. 29 



captive, they will destroy yon. ' I think you 
have begnn to feel afraid of them ; and I 
think I have seen you striving to conquer 
them. One day you tried hard ; and again 
the next day; and a third day too. But 
then you got discouraged and weary, and 
you gave up what you found to be such 
hard work. You either forgot that it is 
only < he that endureth to the end' that shall 
be saved ;* or else you ceased to be in ear- 
nest, because you did not really believe 
what God had said. Perhaps you began to 
think he would not punish you after all; 
perhaps you forgot what you had heard 
about the joys of heaven and the pains of 
hell; perhaps you did not keep in mind 
how much Jesus suffered to effect your sal- 
vation; and so you gave up praying and 
watching." 

Ella. Just as king Joash gave up shoot- 
ing his arrows. 

"Yes; but there is one difference be- 
tween his case and your's. He had no other 
opportunity given him of beginning again- 
to shoot his arrows. God did not try him 

* Matt. xxiv. 13. 
3* 



30 KENNETH FORBES. 



any more. But in mercy and love to your 
souls, God is willing to try you yet again. 
He reminds you once more that sin is a 
dangerous and deadly thing. He still com- 
mands you to resist sin, to flee from sin, to 
hate sin. And he bids you do this not only 
once, or twice, or thrice, but even to the 
very close of your life." 

Constance. But, mother, if we have been 
wearied sometimes before three days were 
over, how will it ever be possible for us to 
keep on for our whole lifetime ? 

"It is possible, but only by the aid of 
God's Spirit. That Holy Spirit, however, 
is promised to all who ask through Christ. 
Do not be disheartened, then : 

'Try, try, try again;' 

and recollect, that if you are commanded to 
go on always striving, God is willing to go on 
always helping ." 

"Mother," said Constance, "I should 
like to put that down in my note-book. 
May I repeat it ? If we are commanded to go 
on always striving, God is willing to go on 
always helping." 

" That is right. May you find it true in 



THE NARRATIVE. 31 



your own history ! May you, like David, 
incline your heart to perform God's statutes 
alway even unto the end ;* and if you are 
faithful unto death, you will receive a crown 
of life."f 

* Ps. cxix. 112. f Rev. ii. 10. 



82 KENNETH FORBES. 



CHAPTER n. 

WORD BY WORD; OR, THE FLOWER DISSECTED. 

E"urse having reported that "Miss Ella 
had been coughing in the night/' the little 
girl was not allowed to join her brother and 
sister the next day in theii^ morning-walk. 
But before Mr. Forbes left to go into the 
city, he went into his greenhouse, plucked 
two splendid geraniums in full bloom, and 
brought them to her as she was amusing 
herself in the dining-room. When she was 
tired of play, she went and sat down by a 
table, on which she laid one of her flowers ; 
the other she kept in her hand, and began 
slowly to pull off leaf after leaf. It was 
easy to see that she was not doing this 
thoughtlessly, or out of mere mischief. No : 
she was doing it far too carefully for any- 
body to suppose that. She examined the 
flower very closely, noticed every part of it 
separately, and, as she took off each petal, 



WORD BY WORD. 33 



she stopped to admire its delicate colour 
and its beautiful streakings. After this, 
she took up the other geranium that lav 
uninjured beside her, and looked at it long 
and wonderingly. At length the rest of 
the party returned, and the first exclama- 
tion that burst from the lips of Constance 
was, " Oh, Ella, how could you destroy that 
beautiful flower ? What a pity father threw 
it away upon you !" Mrs. Forbes, who had 
been silently watching all that had passed, 
here inquired, "Tell us, Ella, why you 
did it." 

"That I might look at every part of it 
singly, mother." 

"And what were you thinking of as you 
sat and compared it with the unbroken 
flower?" 

"I was thinking how wonderfully God 
had made it, without a leaf too many or a 
leaf too few, and not one but what is beau- 
tiful to look at by itself." 

"Well, Constance," resumed their mo- 
ther, "was the geranium thrown away, if 
the pulling of it to pieces gave rise to such 
a thought as that? But now let us see 
whether we cannot turn it to some further 



34 KENNETH FORBES. 



account. " Then, directing them to take 
their usual seats, she continued, " While I 
was watching Ella, I began to think that 
the Bible may be compared to a garden, in 
which the verses are the various flowers, 
and in these verses the words are like so 
many leaves or petals. Thus we may often 
stop after reading a verse, and take up word 
after word, and see how much fulness of 
meaning lies hidden in each. Then, after 
having examined the words separately, we 
may do what Ella could not do : we may 
put them together again, and read the whole 
verse over with fresh pleasure. The more 
we study the Bible in this way, the better 
we shall see its beauty, and the more deeply 
we shall feel that it is indeed the book of 
God. We shall find that there is not one 
word too many, nor one word too few. 
Every word has its proper place, and every 
word adds its own force to the whole. Shall 
we take a verse (or part of a verse) this 
morning, and try to pick it to pieces, as 
Ella did her flower?" 

"Oh, please, mother!" was the imme- 
diate answer. "But what text will you 
take?" 



WORD BY WORD. 35 



" Suppose we- try the one that is set down 
for to-day in my little almanac. You will 
find it in Ps. xlvi. 11 : ' The God of Jacob 
is our refuge.' Let us begin with the last 
word. What is it that w r e need ?" 

Constance. A " refuge." 

" We need a refuge, or a place of safety. 
The traveller, overtaken by a storm, hastens 
to a spot where he may be screened from its 
fury. The hunted deer flees to some shady 
covert, where it will be hidden from its pur- 
suers. The mariners in a leaky vessel make 
for the nearest harbour. In like manner, 
we are exposed to many spiritual dangers, 
and we need a place of safe retreat. The 
Bible tells us that 'the high hills are a re- 
fuge for the wild goats, and the rocks for 
the coneys.'* But we need something bet- 
ter than these. The Psalmist asks, ' Shall 
I lift up mine eye unto the hills whence 
cometh my help ? My help cometh from 
the Lord which made heaven and earth !'f 
And the prophet Jeremiah says, ' Truly in 
vain is salvation hoped for from the hills 
and from the multitude of mountains ; 

* Ps. civ. 18. f Ps. cxxi. 1, 2, margin. 



36 KENNETH FORBES. 



truly in the Lord our God is the salvation 
of Israel.'* Can you tell me how he came 
to think that any one would be likely to 
look to the hills for salvation ?" 

Kenneth Was it because Jerusalem was 
all surrounded with mountains ? 

" That is not a bad reason. Perhaps 
some of the Israelites looked on the circle 
of hills round their city, and trusted in 
these as a sufficient defence. But there was 
another reason, which you will be able to 
tell me if you first think what use wicked 
men in those days made of mountain-tops 
and other 'high places.' " 

Constance. They worshipped idols there. 

Kenneth. Oh, yes : now I see. When they 
looked to the hills for salvation, it was be- 
cause they thought their idols would save 
them. 

"Exactly so ; but they were seeking pro- 
tection where they could not find it; and 
their refuge was a ' refuge of lies.'f This 
is no uncommon case. There are many 
false refuges in which men fancy them- 
selves secure; but after a time they find 

~ k Jer. iii. 23. f Tsa,. xxviii. 17. 



WORD BY WORD. 37 



out that they need more effectual shelter. 
The refuge spoken of in our text, however, 
is just that which our souls require. Is 
this the only passage in which God is said 
to be a refuge ?" 

Mia. There is one in the first verse of 
the same Psalm : — " God is our refuge and 
strength." 

Constance. I think there are a great many 
in the Psalms. 

" You are right ; and it will be a nice em- 
ployment some Sabbath evening to search 
them out. But let us now take another 
word of our text. Do you remember what 
I once told you was Luther's saying about 
some very small words in the Bible ?" 

Kenneth. He used to say that "the beauty 
of Scripture consists in pronouns." 

"And what pronoun adds its beauty to 
this verse?" 

Constance. "The God of Jacob is our 
refuge." 

"Ah! there is a great deal of meaning 
in that short word. It is not enough that 
there is a refuge provided for some, if it is 
not provided for us. And even if it is open 
to us, that is of no avail if we stand out- 

4 



38 KENNETH FORBES. 



side and refuse to enter in. As long as we 
do not go in and seek shelter, we are ex- 
posed to all the violence of the storm. 
There is a great difference between saying, 
4 God is a refuge for us,' and being able to 
say, 'God is our refuge.' It is a mercy 
that the former is true, — that for each and 
all of us a refuge is provided. But then it 
is our duty to resort to the shelter thus 
prepared. Ella, turn to Psalm lxii. 8, and 
read it." 

Mia. " Trust in him at all times ; ye 
people, pour out your heart before him; 
God is a refuge for us." 

"You see, when we are here told that 
God is a refuge, we are also told what we 
must do in consequence : we must trust in 
him, and seek his protection. The refuge 
will do us no good if we keep away from it. 
But the moment we enter it we are safe, 
and then we can call it our's. See what 
Paul tells us in Hebrews vi. 18 : — ' That we 
might have a strong consolation, who' ..." 

Mia. . . . "have fled for refuge to lay 
hold upon the hope set before us." 

"It is not enough to know of the re- 
fuge : we must hasten to avail ourselves of 



WORD BY WORD. 39 



it; we must flee as for our lives. The 
' strong consolation/ that the apostle speaks 
of is not for those who intend to flee, who 
resolve to flee, but for those only who 
'have fled/ It is not even for those who 
have begun to flee and are asking the 
way, but for those only who have so fled as 
to reach the hoped-for shelter and to 'lay 
hold' on it as their own. But what more 
does our text teach us ?" 

Kenneth. " The God of Jacob is our 
refuge." 

"We must not lay much stress on that 
word, because you see it is not expressed in 
the original. It is printed in italics, and 
was only put in to make the sense clear. 
As God always has been, so he still is, and 
always will be, the refuge of his people. 
And as it is a true, so it is a delightful, 
thought that he is to Christians an always- 
present refuge, — a refuge at all times ready, 
not one that they have to wait for, not one 
that they can ever seek in vain. What is 
the next word we come to ?" 

Mia. " The God of Jacob." 

Kenneth. Oh, I think I know what that 
reminds us of. Is it not of the many 



40 KENNETH FORBES. 



times when Jacob found God to be a 
refuge ? 

" That is a very suitable thought. Will 
you give me some instances ?" 

Kenneth. When he had to leave his home, 
and was sleeping with a stone under his 
head for a pillow ; and again, when he was 
afraid of meeting Esau. 

Constance. And when Laban pursued 
after him, but was not allowed to do him 
any harm. 

" Then you see from Jacob's history that 
God is not an untried refuge, but that in 
him abundant shelter has again and again 
been found. If no one had ever tried him, 
we might feel afraid to do so ; but such 
examples as these encourage us to trust in 
him as Jacob trusted." 

Kenneth. I don't think you can make any 
thing of the next word, mother. It is only 
a preposition, — the God' of Jacob. 

" True : it is a little word, and, as you 
say, 'only a preposition;' yet prepositions 
are often very emphatic words. If you alter 
one of them in a sentence, you may often 
make the meaning quite different. This 
'of teaches us a good deal. It reminds 



WORD BY WORD. 41 



us that God was not only, as we have just 
seen, a God to Jacob, but that he allowed 
himself to be called 'the God of Jacob.' 
Can you tell me why the Jews liked to 
speak of him and to think of him by this 
name?" 

Kenneth, Because they knew that the 
God of their fathers would be their God 
too. 

"How did they know it?" 

Kenneth. Because God had promised it. 

"Yes : the name ' God of Jacob' was used 
in order to remind them that God had made 
a covenant or agreement with Jacob, pro- 
mising to bless him and his seed after him ; 
so that he was their covenant God, their 
God by promise. And is he our covenant 
God, — our God ifiy promise ?" 

Constance, Yes, if we believe in Jesus. 

" By what covenant and by what promise 
is he our's ?" 

Constance, By the new covenant which 
he made when Christ came. 

Kenneth, And the promise, "I will be 
their God, and they shall be my people'."* 



* Jer. xxxi. 31-33 ; Heb. viii. 8-10. 
4* 



42 KENNETH FORBES. 



"What is the title given to him as our 
covenant God? Is he called in the New 
Testament the God of Jacob ?" 

Constance. No ; but the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

" And you will find the apostles took as 
much delight in giving him that title as the 
Jews had in calling him the God of Abra- 
ham., Isaac and Jacob. The Jews knew 
that God was their refuge, because he was 
the God of Jacob ; and we know that he is 
our refuge, because he is the God and Fa- 
ther of our Lord Jesus. Indeed, if it were 
not for this, a just and holy God could 
never be a fitting refuge for those who have 
sinned against him and broken his right- 
eous law. Before we can come to God the 
Father as our refuge from* sorrow and dan- 
ger, we must first go to Christ as our refuge 
from sin and guilt. Jesus is spoken of as 
such a refuge in Isaiah xxxii. 2." 

Mia. " A man shall be as a hiding-place 
from the wind, and a covert from the tem- 
pest." 

"It was through a Saviour coming that 
the God of Jacob was the refuge of his an- 
cient people; and it is through a Saviour 



WORD BY WORD. 43 



now come that God is willing to be our re- 
fuge. What is the one important word left 
for us to notice?" 

Constance. " The God of Jacob is our 
refuge." 

" Here is the security of our hiding-place. 
A divine refuge can never fail us. All 
other refuges are insufficient and incon- 
stant, frail and fleeting. They either yield 
no shelter at all, or yield it for a time only. 
But it is not so with God. In him we find 
a protection both sure and constant. Be- 
cause of his almighty power, he is a safe 
refuge ; and because of his eternity, he is a 
never-failing refuge. Let us prove each of 
these by a text. For his poWer to shield us, 
look at Psalm xci. 9, 10." 

Constance. " Because thou hast made the 
Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most 
High, thy habitation, there shall no evil 
befall thee, neither shall any plague come 
nigh thy dwelling." 

"And for the unchangeable shelter he 
gives, look at the beginning of Deut. xxxiii. 
27." 

Mia. " The eternal God is thy refuge." 

" It is God alone who is almighty and 



44 KENNETH FORBES. 



eternal, and therefore it is in him alone 
that we can find the true refuge of the soul. 
There is a beautiful contrast between two 
verses in Proverbs, chap, xviii. 10, 11." 

Kenneth. " The name of the Lord is a 
strong tower: the righteous runneth into 
it, and is safe. The rich man's wealth is 
his strong city, and as a high wall in his 
own conceit." 

" How great a difference ! The rich man's 
wealth is what he deems a strong city, and 
it is like a high wall, but only * in his own 
conceit;' whereas the name of the Lord is 
really a strong tower; the righteous runneth 
into it, and is perfectly safe, safe forever." 

Mia. Mother, there is one word more, — 
"the God of Jacob." 

" There we have a definite article. There 
is no vagueness, no doubt, as to the Deity 
intended. While the heathen had to seek 
protection from one god on the land and 
another on the sea, from one in the forest 
and another in the city, from one on the 
hills and another in the valleys, those who 
trust in Jehovah have a refuge open to 
them wherever they dwell and whither- 
soever they go. Now you see how many 



WORD BY WORD. 45 



ideas we have gained from looking at the 
separate words in our text. First, w r e no- 
ticed that the thing needed is a 'refuge;' 
then, that this refuge may be appropriated 
by us, so as to become 'our's;' that this re- 
fuge ' is' accessible now and always ; that 
this refuge has been proved, as in the expe- 
rience of i Jacob ;' that this refuge is certain, 
because found in the God 'of Jacob, who 
through Jesus Christ is the covenant God 
of his people ; that this refuge is sufficient, 
because it is found in ' God,' who is an 
almighty and eternal protector ; and, lastly, 
that this refuge is a definite one, found in 
'the' God, the only true and living Lord 
God of Hosts." 

Constance. I counted them, mother, and 
there were seven. How very nice it is to 
read a verse in this way ! I never thought 
before that there could be so much taught 
by single words. 

" Then you have never heard about the 
Countess of Huntingdon, who said there 
was one single letter for which she had rea- 
son to be thankful. She referred to a text 
in Corinthians, in which it is not said, < Not 
any rich, not any mighty, not any noble:' 



46 KENNETH FORBES. 



had it been so written, it would have shut 
her out, because she was a rich and noble 
lady; but the words are, 'Not many rich, 
not many mighty, not many noble/ The 
letter m made all the difference.' ' 

Ella. Can all verses be taken word by 
word? 

"No, my clear, certainly not all; but a 
very great many can. And the more we 
try to study them in this way, the more 
fully we shall draw out their meaning. 
Now, Constance, I think you can repeat 
two verses of a hymn you lately learned, 
which will suit our subject." 

Constance. — 

" Jesus ! refuge of my soul ! 

Let me to thy bosom fly, 
While the nearer waters roll, 

While the tempest still is high 
Hide me, my Saviour, hide, 

Till the storm of life be past ; 
Safe into the haven guide ; 

Oh, receive my soul at last. 

" Other refuge have I none ; 

Hangs my helpless soul on thee : 
Leave, ah, leave me not alone, 

Still support and comfort me. 
All my trust on thee is stay'd ; 

All my help from thee I bring ; 



WORD BY WORD. 47 



Cover my defenceless head 

With the shadow of thy wing." 

"Mother," said Kenneth, "I have been 
expecting you would say something about 
the cities of refuge. Were they not types 
of Christ?" 

" It is true that they may serve to remind 
us of the sinner's danger and of the haste 
with which he should seek the Saviour; 
but the Bible does not tell us that they 
were types of Christ; and if we examine 
closely into their appointment we shall see 
that they would not have been quite suit- 
able as emblems of his work. What was 
the design of the six cities ?" 

Kenneth. They were for the safety of the 
manslayer when he was pursued by the 
avenger of blood. 

"But if the manslayer proved to have 
been a murderer, and to have taken his 
neighbour's life, not by accident, but by de- 
sign, could he in such a case find safety 
wdthin the city- walls ?" 

Kenneth. I never noticed that. 

" Then if at your leisure you will read 
over the chapters in Numbers and Deute- 
ronomy which contain the laws on this sub- 



48 KENNETH FORBES. 



ject,* you wall find that every person who 
fled to these cities was brought to trial, first 
at the time of his arrival, and then again in 
the presence of witnesses, who could prove 
the truth or falsehood of his story. If he 
was acquitted, he found safety in the city: 
if he was pronounced guilty, he was given 
over to the avenger of blood, that he might 
be put to death. The city of refuge was no 
place for pardon : the innocent alone could 
find safety by fleeing to it. But it is far 
otherwise with Jesus. He came 'not to 
call the righteous, but sinners to repent- 
ance,' and he offers them forgiveness as 
well as security. It was on this account that 
I did not refer to the cities of refuge. How- 
ever, as you have made me speak about 
them, it may be well just to tell you that 
every verse in the Bible where the term 
6 refuge' occurs has been carefully searched, 
and it has been found that the Hebrew 
word which stands for the cities of refuge is 
never once applied to Jehovah as the re- 
fuge of his people. Perhaps this may have 
been for the very reason that whenever 

* Num. xxxv. and Deut. xix. 



WORD BY WORD. 49 



God is a refuge to men lie lias first to blot 
out their iniquities. He can never receive 
them on the ground of their own purity; 
for ' there is none righteous, no, not one.' 
Remember this, my children : if you would 
have God for your refuge in the day of ad- 
versity, you must seek him as your refuge 
in the bright days of your youth. Hasten 
to him before the tempest bursts. Hasten 
to him because your souls are even now in 
danger. Just as the manslayer started 
breathlessly towards the open gate of the 
city and took no rest until he found him- 
self secure in that asylum, so should you 
give no sleep to your eyes and no slumber 
to your eyelids till you have fled to the 
Saviour of sinners for pardon and for 
safety." 



50 KENNETH FORBES. 



CHAPTEE III. 

SEPARATE CLAUSES; OR, THE APPLE OF THE EYE. 

On again assembling, the children told 
their mother they had all been trying to 
find verses that they could examine word 
by word in the way she had showed them. 
Mrs. Forbes asked what success they had 
met with, and said she should be very glad 
if each would give her an example, — begin- 
ning with the youngest. Ella replied that 
she had found it very difficult, but that Miss 
Miller (the governess) had told her of an 
old divine who had preached on the text, 
"Why will ye die?"* and who had made 
each word one of the heads of the sermon, 
in this way: — "I. Why will ye die? — for 
eternal death is an awful thing. II. Why 
will ye die? — for ye have had the way of 
eternal life taught you. III. Why will ye 

* Ezek. xviii. 31. 



SEPARATE CLAUSES. 51 



die ? — for it will be your own fault if you 
are shut out of heaven. IV. Why will ye 
die? — for all your excuses must be bad 
ones." 

Constance said she had thought of one or 
two, but that she had found in her little 
book of sacred poetry a better one than she 
could choose for herself; and, having learned 
it, she would repeat it if her mother liked. 
It was on the words, " Wilt thou not from 
this time cry unto me, My Father, thou art 
the guide of my youth?"* 

"Oh, wilt thou not? — yes, Lord, I "will, 
If by thy grace thou aid me still ; 
Since thou art willing, so am I ; 
Yes, my Lord, I will reply. 

"From this time? — yes, Lord, to-day; 
If thou entreat, can I delay ? 
Lord, I would yield at once to thee, 
Constrain' d by thine appeal to me. 

"Cry unto me? — yes, Lord, I'll cry 
To thee, and thou wilt not deny ; 
I'll turn from all besides away, 
And cry to thee this very day. 

"My Father? — yes, delightful name! 
My Father, — I'll repeat the same, 

* Jer. iii. 4. 



52 * KENNETH FORBES. 



Rejoicing, while thou thus art styled, 
That I may call myself thy child. 

"Thou art the guide? — yes, so thou art, 
And may I ne'er from thee depart: 
What can I wish or want beside, 
While I can call the Lord my guide ? 

" Guide of my youth? — yes, I shall stray 
From life and happiness away, 
Unless thou guide my youthful days 
In wisdom's safe and pleasant ways. 

"My gracious Father, guide of youth, 
Thy words of tenderness and truth 
Subdue my heart ; and, from this time, 
I yield to thee my youthful prime." 

It was now Kenneth's turn, and lie had 
chosen Psalm Ixxxvi. 11 : — " Unite my heart 
to fear thy name." You shall hear what 
he said about it. "I thought, mother, as 
you once explained to us from a text in 
Exodus,* that God's 'name' is a term used 
to mean God's character, so the last word 
here would give us a great deal to think 
about in counting up the number of God's 
attributes. Then we come to Hhy name:' 
this, I thought, would teach us that no one 

* Exod. xxxiv. 5, 6. 



SEPARATE CLAUSES. 53 



had so many attributes or such, perfect attri- 
butes as God has, and that therefore God's 
name is above every other name. We are 
to 'fear' God's name : here we could stop 
and think how every one of God's attributes 
may lead us to do this. And then I remem- 
bered the sermon we heard last Sunday, in 
which we were told that even the greatness 
of God's love should make us fear him.* 
Then it is with the ' heart' we are to fear 
God's name : it is not enough for the mind 
to know about God, but we must have right 
feelings in the soul. And again, ' Unite 
my heart to fear thy name :' it is of no avail 
to us that others should fear God ; we must 
do it for ourselves. But then the last re- 
maining word puzzled me. When it says, 
'Unite my heart to fear thy name,' I know 
it is a prayer asking God to help ; but why 
is the word ' unite' used, when the heart is 
but one thing?" 

Mrs. Forbes explained this by saying, 
"You must remember that the heart is 
made up of different parts, as the will, the 
conscience, the affections ; and it is capable 

* Ps. cxxx. 4. 

5* 



54 KENNETH FORBES. 



of different feelings, as fear and hope, love 
and hatred, joy and sorrow, desire and dis- 
like, and so on. jNow, in the service of 
God all these ought to be united. If our 
conscience urges us to do one thing and 
our affections urge us to do another, that is 
having a divided heart; and such service 
God will not accept.* But if our will is 
made holy, our conscience holy, and our 
affections holy too ; if our's is a godly fear 
and a godly hope, a righteous joy and a 
righteous sorrow ; if our love is towards that 
which is good and our hatred towards that 
which is evil, then it is that we have ' one 
heart' to fear God's name;f for then our 
whole heart with all its powers is united in 
God's service, like some well-tuned instru- 
ment, in which each note is ready to add its 
sweetness to the strain ; and so Kenneth's 
text just breathes the very same prayer that 
you so often sing on a Sabbath morning : — 

' Oh, may my heart in tune be found, 
Like David's harp of solemn sound!' 

But now," she added, "it is time we should 

* Hosea x. 2. f Jer. xxxii. 39. 



SEPARATE CLAUSES. 55 



take a fresh, subject for to-day's lesson. As 
you seem to have liked the one we had 
yesterday, suppose I tell you another way 
of studying the Bible. Instead of taking 
up single words, let us this time take single 
clauses." 

Ella. What is a clause, mother ? 

" The term c clause' comes from a Latin 
word that means to shut up, because for- 
merly it was used to denote only the close 
of a sentence ; but now it is employed in a 
wider sense, and just means part of a sen- 
tence, — any part, whether at the beginning 
or the end : so that we often speak of the 
first clause, the middle clause and the last 
clause of a verse." 

Constance. Then it was the last clause of 
a verse we had yesterday. 

Ella. "What clause will you give us to- 
day, mother? 

"I was reminded of one last night as I 
passed the nursery. The door being open, 
I overheard some merry little voices ; and I 
found all the fun arose from your having 
discovered that you might make a looking- 
glass of each other's eyes !" 

Kenneth. Oh, yes; it was Ella, who did 



56 KENNETH FORBES. 



not know she could see her own image re- 
flected in the pupil of the eye ; and when 
she tried to look in baby's eye, he would 
turn another way; and that was what we 
were laughing at. 

"Did Ella succeed in seeing herself at 
last?" 

Constance. Yes, mother; I let her look 
in my eyes, and she would hardly believe 
it then, till she put her hand up to her 
curls; but that convinced her it w r as her 
own face she saw. 

"And can any of you tell me what other 
name is often given to that circular place in 
the eye?" 

Kenneth. Is it not called a the apple of 
the eye" ? 

"Yes; and the learned men, whose opi- 
nion we can most safely trust, think it has 
been so called from its looking as if it were 
round like an apple." 

Constance. And why is it called the pupil? 

" From a Latin word meaning a ' damsel ;' 
just as in Hebrew it is called ' the image in 
the eye,' or 'the daughter of the eye,' or 
' the little man of the eye,' in allusion to the 
miniature likeness which it gives." 



SEPARATE CLAUSES. 57 



Ella, Oh, mother, how very curious to 
call it " the little man of the eye" ! But it is 
not called so in the Bible, is it ? 

"It is called so in the Hebrew Scrip- 
tures ; but those who translated the Bible 
into English have given it the name of 
which we have been speaking : they call it 
' the apple of the eye.' It is referred to five 
times in the Bible ; and four of these pass- 
ages are very interesting. If we compare 
them with one another, we shall find that 
these few words, ' the apple of the eye,' may 
be found in a prayer, in a promise, in a pat- 
tern and in a precept." 

Kenneth. I think I know where the 
prayer is. Yes : here I have found it. 
Psalm xvii. 8, first clause : — " Keep me as 
the apple of the eye." 

"Very good. Now, to understand this 
rightly you must recollect that the eye is 
the most tender part of the body, and the 
apple or pupil the most tender part of the 
eye. The eye itself is subject to a great 
many different diseases, most of which 
cause acute suffering and many eventually 
destroy the sight. You all know how very 
painful it is when even the smallest par- 



58 KENNETH FORBES. 



ticle of dust gets into your eye ; and such 
pain is a merciful thing, because it warns 
us of danger, and makes us use instant 
means to remove what may have got into 
the eye before any real harm is done. But 
then there is another thing to recollect. 
Just because the eye is so tender, therefore 
we find that God has with exceeding care 
provided for its safety. As it is subject to 
many dangers, so it has been furnished with 
various defences. Can you tell me some 
of them?" 

Kenneth. Yes, mother ; I was reading the 
other day about the different parts of the 
eye. It has three coats, — the sclerotica and 
the choroides, which protect the retina, — as 
well as three humours, — the aqueous, the 
crystalline, and the vitreous. 

"What is the name of that thick, horny- 
looking coat which serves as a covering to 
the pupil of the eye ?" 

Kenneth The cornea. 

"Yes; and over that is the eyelid, with 
its long lashes, ready to close instantly on 
the approach of danger from without, and 
which, if closed in time, forms so frequently 
an effectual shield. All this will help us 



SEPARATE CLAUSES. 59 



to understand David's petition. He was 
in danger from his enemies ; but he prayed 
that God would watch as carefully against 
their injuring him as a man watches against 
any thing that would injure his precious 
eyesight. And we may adopt this prayer 
for ourselves; for our souls are of more 
value than the eye, and our souls are in 
more danger than the eye. If we would 
have our souls in safety, w^e must ask God 
to keep them. He best knows our danger, 
and therefore he can best defend us from 
it. He can keep us better far than we can 
keep ourselves. A little keeping would 
not be enough. We need to be kept very 
carefully and very constantly. We need to 
be kept from small as well as from great 
dangers. What are called ' little sins' hurt 
the soul as much as little things hurt the 
eye. It is true, we are to keep our own 
hearts with all diligence ; but our most dili- 
gent keeping will be insufficient if we have 
not also God's effectual keeping. What 
rule does Jesus give us for our safety from 
temptation?" 

Constance. He tells us to watch and pray. 

"We are to 'watch,' and so keep our- 



60 KENNETH FORBES. 



selves. But we are also to 'pray/ and so 
get God by his almighty power to keep us. 
If we wish, however, to use David's prayer, 
have we any reason to expect that God will 
answer it?" 

Constance. Yes, because he has said, "Ask, 
and it shall be given you." 

" Then do you think that if you prayed 
to be made a queen to-morrow, God would 
grant your request and set you on the 
throne?" 

Constance. No, mother. Yet did not Jesus 
say, " Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, 
that will I do"? 

" True ; but we must explain that promise 
by comparing it with another very like it/ 
which Jesus had giv s en only a day or two 
before he uttered that one. I refer to Matt. 
xxi. 22, in which we read, 'And all things 
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, 
ye shall receive.' " 

Kenneth. Oh, mother, I see what you 
mean. If Constance prayed to be made a 
queen, she could not ask it " believing," 
because God has never promised it. 

" Just so. In order to pray rightly, we 
must pray in faith ; but there can be no 



SEPARATE CLAUSES. 61 
*— 

faith where there is no promise. Whatever 
God has promised, we ought to expect from 
him. What he has not promised, we may 
still ask for ; but we cannot ask it believ- 
ingly ; we cannot ask it in the certain ex- 
pectation of getting it. When we pray for 
temporal blessings, we can have but a gene- 
ral faith, because God has given us but a 
general promise. He has not told us that 
he will make us rich, or give us friends, or 
preserve our health, or keep every thing 
bright and ^unny about us. But yet he 
has said that ' no good thing will he with- 
hold from them that walk uprightly. ' When, 
therefore, we are asking for riches, or health, 
or friendships, or prosperity, we may be sure 
these things will be given us if they are 
really for our good ; while at the same time 
we shall have to feel quite as sure that they 
will be denied if God sees that they are not 
for our good. In praying for worldly things, 
we cannot be positively assured that we shall 
receive the very things for which we ask. 
But when we ask blessings for the soul we 
have abundant promises on which our faith 
may rest. If we want our heart renewed, 
our sins forgiven, our weakness helped, our 

6 



62 KENNETH FORBES. 



efforts crowned with success, — for each and 
all of these we can find a suitable promise. 
These promises we should keep in mind for 
ourselves ; and we should repeat them in 
our prayers, as if it were to put God in 
mind of them. We know that he has not 
forgotten them, and we know that he will 
not fail to keep them ; but at the same time 
we learn from Scripture that he is pleased 
when he sees us remembering his pro- 
mises and looking for their fulfilment. It 
would be a nice exercise for you to try how 
many instances you can meet with in Scrip- 
ture of good men who in their prayers re- 
minded God of his promises. But let us 
now see whether you can give a right 
answer to the question I was asking you : — 
If we take David's prayer and make it our's, 
have we any ground of assurance that God 
will grant our request ?" 

Kenneth. Yes ; we can ask for that in faith, 
because God has given a promise about it. 
I do not recollect it at all ; but yet you told 
us that there is one somewhere about the 
apple of the eye. 

" You will find what amounts to a pro- 
mise in the last clause of Zech. ii. 8." 



SEPARATE CLAUSES. 63 



Ella. "He that toucheth you toucheth 
the apple of his eye." 

" God saw that his people were much 
afraid of their enemies, and he sent this 
gracious message to comfort them. He told 
them that if any tried to hurt them it 
would be as if they tried to hurt God him- 
self. He did not bid the prophet merely 
say, ' God will take care of you and will 
keep you from harm.' No : the message 
was, ' He does take, and will take, as much 
care of you as a man takes of the apple of 
his eye ; he will keep you as he would 
keep the thing most precious to him.' " 

Constance. What a beautiful promise that 
is, mother ! 

"It is indeed, my child. But how im- 
portant to stop and ask whether we have 
any right to take its comfort to ourselves ! 
Do you remember any thing I once told 
you about taking promises that do not 
belong to us?" 

Ella. You told us that when God has 
given a promise he has also plainly said 
what kind of people it was meant for. 

" And, therefore, to take a promise and 
apply it to our own case, when we are not 



64 KENNETH FORBES. 



of the number for whom it was intended, 
would be like ..." 

Mia. Like " opening and reading a letter 
directed to somebody else." 

Constance. And you gave us the saying 
of an old divine : — " The promises are like a 
garden paled in and enclosed, the flowers 
of which none may gather but the children 
of the family." 

Kenneth. This promise in Zechariah was 
addressed to the Jews, was it not? 

"You are right. But we must in such a 
case make a distinction. We must ask, does 
it refer to them as a people, or as God's 
people?" 

Constance. As God's people, I suppose. 

".Yes; for we find the same meaning, 
though not the very same words, in other 
promises made to God's people in different 
ages ; such as these : — ' Thou wilt keep him 
in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on 
thee.' 'He shall stablish you, and keep 
you from evil.' ' I will keep thee from the 
hour of temptation.' ' He shall deliver thee 
in six troubles, yea, in seven there shall no 
evil touch thee.' All these breathe the same 
love and tender care as the words before us : — 



SEPARATE CLAUSES. 65 



* He that toucheth you toucheth the apple 
of his eye.' We may therefore safely regard 
this promise as belonging to all who are the 
people of God. ' God's church/ says a good 
author, — ' God's church is the apple of his 
eye, and the eyelid of his providence doth 
daily cover and defend it,' If you, my 
children, have chosen him for your por- 
tion and taken his Son as your Saviour, 
then you are as dear to him as were the 
Jews of old, and you may take home to 
your own souls all the joy of this promise. 
If any seek to do you hurt, you can cry to 
God, 'Keep me as the apple of the eye;' 
and God's book will say to you, in return, 
' He that toucheth you toucheth the apple 
of his eye.' But we must hasten on. What 
God has promised to do for his people is no 
new thing : he has done it for them in time 
past." 

Kenneth. Oh, now you are going to show 
us the third text, which you said was to 
be a pattern. Where shall we find it ? 

"In the last clause of Deut. xxxii. 10. 
Let me hear the whole verse." 

Ella. "He found him in a desert land, 
and in the waste howling wilderness ; he 

E 6* 



66 KENNETH FORBES. 



led him about ; he instructed him ; he kept 
him as the apple of his eye." 

"This has a reference to the care God 
took of the Israelites on the way from Egypt 
to Canaan. Can you give me some instances 
of God's keeping them?" 

Constance. He kept them from hunger by 
sending them manna. 

Ella. And from thirst by giving them 
water out of the rock. 

Kenneth. And he kept them from being 
slain by their enemies, when they had to 
fight the Amalekites and Moabites. 

" In all these different ways he kept them 
as the apple of his eye. And thus he has 
given us a proof how safely he can guard 
his people. The God of whom it is said, 
' He that touch eth you toucheth the apple 
of his eye,' is the same God who watched 
over the Israelites in the desert. And he 
is the same God still. He has the same 
power, the same wisdom, the same love, 
now, that he had in the days of Moses and 
of David and of Zechariah. The promise 
shows that he is willing to keep us ; the pat- 
tern shows that he is able to keep us, and 
that those whom he keeps are safely kept. 



SEPARATE CLAUSES. 67 



We have indeed encouragement to pray 
David's prayer, when we can rest on such a 
promise and when we find the promise 
proved by such a pattern. But now sup- 
pose you have made the prayer your's, and 
have asked God to keep you ; suppose God 
has fulfilled his promise and done for you 
according to this pattern ; suppose he has 
kept you as the apple of his eye: what 
must you render unto him for this benefit ? 
Tarn to Prov. vii. 2." 

Kenneth. Here it is. Oh, mother ! that is 
the fourth thing, — the precept. "Keep my 
commandments, and live ; and my law as 
the apple of thine eye." 

"You see, then, that if God keeps us 
carefully we should carefully keep his law. 
If he watches over us, protecting us from 
the least thing that could harm us, we ought 
to watch over our own hearts and lives, 
striving against the least sin, that it may 
not displease him. Let us esteem his law 
as precious as the apple of the eye itself. 
Let us keep his law so as to remember it ; 
let us keep it so as to obey it. You will 
not find this easy ; but if you ask God for 
Jesus Christ's sake, he will help you by his 



KENNETH FORBES. 



Holy Spirit. If you wish, to keep God's law 
as the apple of your eye, you will find you 
can do it best when you are asking God to 
keep you as the apple of his eye. We can- 
not keep God's law but as he keeps us. 
Our time is gone now. Perhaps you will 
like to search by to-morrow morning for 
some prayers and promises, and patterns 
and precepts, that correspond to each other. 
And do not forget those we have now been 
comparing ; but let your earnest petition 
be, — 

' Keep me, Saviour, deign to guide me 

Through a vain and treacherous life : 
I would fly to thee to hide me 

From its sin and woe and strife.' " 



PARALLEL CLAUSES. 69 



CHAPTER IV. 

PARALLEL CLAUSES; OR, THE LONGING MIND. 

When Mrs. Forbes took her seat on 
Thursday morning, she soon saw by the 
open Bibles that each of the children was 
prepared with some texts to read to her; 
and therefore she at once began by asking, 
"How have you succeeded, Ella?" 

Ella. I could not find a pattern at all ; 
but I have three other clauses that suit each 
other. Here is the woman of Samaria's 
prayer : — " Give me this water, that I thirst 
not." (John iv. 15.) Then we have the 
promise, "I will give unto him that is 
athirst of the fountain of the water of life 
freely." (Rev. xxi. 6.) And I thought this 
would do for the precept : — " Ho, every one 
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." Isa. 
Iv. 1. 

Constance. I have only three, mother, and 
mine are just the same kind as Ella's, for 
the pattern is the very thing I could not 



70 KENNETH FORBES. 



find. In Ps. xix. 13, David prays, "Keep 
back thy servant also from presumptuous 
sins ; let them not have dominion over me." 
A promise like it I found in Rom. vi. 14 : — 
"Sin shall not have dominion over you." 
And there is a precept in the twelfth verse, 
"Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal 
body, that ye should obey it in the lusts 
thereof." 

Kenneth. I do think the patterns are the 
most difficult to find. I should not have 
found one but for the chapter father read 
at prayers this morning ; but I saw a verse 
there that would do. For a prayer I chose 
1 Chron. xxix. 18 : — " O Lord God of Abra- 
ham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep 
this forever in the imagination of the 
thoughts of the heart of thy people, and 
prepare their heart unto thee." Then a 
promise in Ps. x. 17 : — " Lord, thou hast 
heard the desire of the humble, thou wilt 
prepare their heart." Then the pattern 
in 2 Chron. xxix. 36 : — " Hezekiah rejoiced, 
and all the people, that God had prepared 
the people." And the precept in 1 Sam. 
vii. 3 : — " Prepare your hearts unto the Lord, 
and serve him only." 



PARALLEL CLAUSES. 71 



"Very well indeed. lam much pleased 
with the choice each of you has made ; and 
I do not at this moment recollect any text 
that will supply either Constance or Ella 
with a pattern. They must be content 
with a threefold cord instead of a fourfold 
one." 

Constance. Oh, mother, Miss Miller has 
a little book full of prayers, promises and 
precepts for every day in the year ; but she 
would not let us look at it till we had chosen 
our texts for ourselves. And the name of 
it is exactly what you said just now : — " The 
Threefold Cord." 

" It takes its name from these words in 
Ecclesiastes :* — 'A threefold- cord is not 
quickly broken.' That is a very suitable 
name ; for where God has given us a pro- 
mise, a prayer and a precept all teaching 
the same truth, our hold of that truth ought 
to be exceedingly firm and unwavering. 
Ella's three texts, for instance, have proved 
to us very strongly the preciousness and the 
freeness of the living waters of salvation. 
Your's have proved as clearly that God's 

* Eccles. iv. 12. 



72 KENNETH FORBES. 



people are to strive against sin and to sub- 
due it. "While Kenneth's four verses all 
join to teach us that 'the preparation of the 
heart in man is from the Lord.' " 

Kenneth now inquired whether his mother 
had chosen a nice birthday-subject for Con- 
stance, who on that day was ten years old. 
"Yes," replied Mrs. Forbes; "but I must 
first give her the birthday-present I have 
selected for her." Then, opening the table- 
drawer, she took from it a beautiful Bible, 
which she handed to Constance. After 
having expressed her thanks over and over 
again, and after having duly admired its 
handsome binding, the little girl opened 
the book, but immediately exclaimed, in 
astonishment, " Why, Kenneth, look here. 
I never saw a Bible like this one. Oh ! it 
is called a < Paragraph-Bible/ See, Ella, it 
looks like poetry." Then, after a minute's 
pause, she added, "But yet I can't make it 
out ; for, after all, the reading is exactly as 
in our common Bibles, I think. Do let us 
compare them ! — see, the mark is at the 
103d Psalm, — (I dare say you put it there 
on purpose, mother, for I have heard you 
say what a nice birthday Psalm it is.) 



PARALLEL CLAUSES. 73 



Would you just look at your Bible, Kenneth, 
and see if the words are not just the 
same ? — 

1 Bless the Lord, my soul, 
And all that is within me, bless his holy name. 
Bless the Lord, my soul, 
And forget not all his benefits. 
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, 
Who healeth all thy diseases.' 

Why, to-be-sure it is no poetry. Why is it 
put in this way, mother ?" 

" For several reasons. One is because the 
part you are looking at is translated from 
Hebrew poetry. Is the whole of your new 
Bible printed in that way ?" 

Constance. No : I see the history-part is 
like prose, — only it goes straight on just as 
other books do, without having every verse 
look like a paragraph. I think that must 
be very nice ; it must give the sense so 
clearly. Then the prophets, I see, are 
partly put in prose and partly like poetry. 

"But," interrupted Kenneth, "what is 
the use of our having the poetical parts of 
the Hebrew Bible arranged this way in 
English?" 

"It is of great use, because in Hebrew 



74 KENNETH FORBES. 



poetry a verse is often divided into corre- 
sponding clauses, and sometimes one of 
these clauses throws a great deal of light 
on the meaning of the other. You may 
find examples of this in almost every Psalm. 
Just turn to the longest." 

Mia. Oh, that is the 119th. 

" Read me three verses of it, beginning 
at the one hundred and twenty-ninth. Each 
of you can read a verse. " 

" 129 Thy testimonies are wonderful : 

Therefore doth my soul keep them. 

130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; 
It giveth understanding unto the simple. 

131 I opened my mouth, and panted ; 
For I longed for thy commandments." 

" Now, do you not see that each verse is 
divided into two parts ? The first you read 
was, — 

' Thy testimonies are wonderful : 
Therefore doth my soul keep them.' 

Can you tell me what connection there is 
between these two clauses ?" 

Kenneth. The one gives the reason for 
the other. 

" Then it is a connection of cause and 
effect. The wonderfulness of God's testi- 



PARALLEL CLAUSES. 75 



monies was the cause ; and David's keeping 
those testimonies was the effect. There are 
many texts of this kind in the Bible. But 
it is in the two following verses that we 
shall find what I particularly want to ex- 
plain to-day. Let us take one at a time : — 

* The entrance of thy words giveth light : 
It giveth understanding unto the simple.' 

Do these two clauses teach one and the 
same truth, or two different truths?" 

Constance. Just the same, I think. 

" Yes ; and if you compare them you will 
see there are three points of resemblance. 
In each clause God's word is spoken of; in 
each it is spoken of as benefiting us ; and in 
each this benefit is represented as consisting 
in the removal of our darkness." 

Kenneth. Oh, yes, I see : the nominatives, 
the verbs and the objectives all answer to 
each other. 

"I thought, as you are so fond of gram- 
mar, that you would soon see these resem- 
blances. Now I will tell you what name is 
given to the kind of verse in which the 
clauses seem to fit each other in this way. 
It is called a parallelism." 

Ella. What a hard word, mother ! 



76 KENNETH FORBES. 



"Not so hard, if you think what it 
means. What do you call that ruler of 
Kenneth's that you are so often asking 
him to lend you?" 

Mia. A parallel ruler. 

"And what is the use of it ?" 

Ella. To draw parallel lines. 

" What kind of lines are they ?" 

Mia. Lines that ahvays keep on at the 
same distance from each other. 

" Well, then, are not these clauses parallel 
to each other ? Do they not run on evenly, 
side by side ?" 

Constance. Oh, I see now, mother, why 
they are called parallelisms. What a nice 
name for them ! 

Mia. May I try and say it ? "Parallelism :" 
is that right ? 

" Quite right. So I can go on to tell you 
something more about these parallel clauses. 
I have shown you that they are very much 
alike ; but they must not be regarded as 
4 vain repetitions.' Let us see what differ- 
ences we can find between them. I will 
read the verse once more : — 

' The entrance of thy words giveth light : 
It giveth understanding unto the simple.' " 



PARALLEL CLAUSES. 77 



Kenneth. The second line tells us to whom 
light is given, — to the simple. 

" That is one difference. Can you see 
another?'' 

Constance. Not unless you mean that the 
words " light" and "understanding" are not 
quite alike. 

"Precisely. The word 'understanding' 
in the second clause explains what sort of 
light was meant in the first clause; — not 
outward light, not light for the body, 
but light for the soul. Parallelisms, you 
see, are important as well as interesting ; 
for it is only by comparing the clauses at- 
tentively that we discover the exact idea of 
the whole verse. If you were to draw two 
parallel lines, you might make one rather 
faint and the other a good deal stronger. 
Just so the truth is the same in both parts 
of such a verse as this, but it is more fully 
expressed in one part than in the other. 
Sometimes the first clause is the stronger ; 
more frequently, as here, it is the second 
clause that is the more forcible and clear." 

Kenneth. Is the next verse a parallelism 
too? 

" Certainly it is. Let us hear it." 

7* 



78 KENNETH FORBES. 

Mia. 

" I opened my mouth, and panted; 
For I longed for thy commandments. " 

"This is a somewhat unusual one; for 
if you examine it closely you will find that 
the first half of it may be divided into two 
smaller clauses. It is as though you w T ere 
to draw two very short parallel lines, and 
then one longer line parallel to them both : — 

1 1 opened my mouth, 
And I panted ; 
For I longed for thy commandments.' 

The second clause explains the first, and 
the third explains both the others. I will 
show you why the explanation was needed. 
If you look at Daniel x. 16, you will see the 
words 'I opened my mouth' used in quite a 
different sense : — < I opened my mouth and 
spake. 9 We read the same of Job and of 
Elihu;* and in the New Testament the 
same is said of our Lord and of Peter, f So 
you see it was not enough for the Psalmist to 
say, ' I opened my mouth ;' but he had to ex- 
plain it by adding what he opened his mouth 
for: — 'I opened my mouth and panted.' 

* Job iii. 1, 2, xxiii. 2. f Matt. v. 2 ; Acts x. 34. 



PARALLEL CLAUSES. 79 



Still, the meaning would not be quite clear. 
We might think he had been panting from 
extreme fatigue or from exceeding thirst; 
we should not know whether to understand 
it literally or figuratively. "What part of the 
parallelism explains this V 9 

Constance. The last clause: — "I longed 
for thy commandments." 

" Yes : now we have got the true thought. 
David (if it was he who wrote this Psalm) 
meant to describe the longings of his soul 
after God's word." 

Kenneth. Then did he mean the same as 
when he said, "As the hart panteth after 
the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after 
thee, God" ?* 

" That verse is a very good illustration 
of what the Psalmist here means. Just as 
a hunted stag, wearied with the chase and 
wounded perhaps by the archer's dart, pants 
after the clear, cool water of some flowing 
stream, or just as a wild ass, parched with 
the heat and dryness of an Eastern summer, 
chooses out the most airy spot, and there 
stands to snuff up the passing breeze, f so 

* Ps. xlii. 1. f J er. xiv. 6. 



80 KENNETH FORBES. 



David had an intensely earnest longing 
after God and his ordinances. Do you re- 
member how the same idea is represented 
in the New Testament?" 

Constance. As hungering and thirsting 
after righteousness. Matt. v. 6. 

"And when the Psalmist thus hungered 
and thirsted, what was the special object of 
his longings ?" 

Ella. God's commandments. 

"As many as four times in this one Psalm 
he speaks of his longing after them ; and in 
one verse he even says, < My soul breaketh 
for the longing it hath unto thy judgments 
at all times.' But why was this? Did he 
not possess a copy of God's law ?" 

Kenneth. Yes : he ought to have written 
it out for himself, because God had said 
every king was to do so. But he had not 
so much of God's word as we have, and 
therefore he longed for more. 

" How much could he have had ?' 

Ella. Only the five books of Moses. 

Kenneth. Joshua, Judges and Ruth he 
may perhaps have had. 

Constance. And most likely the book of 
Job, too. 



PARALLEL CLAUSES. 81 



"Well, this is the very utmost David 
could have had : his Bible was a very, very 
small oue. No wonder he longed to know 
more about God's will. Many times he 
was brought into great perplexities, so that 
he did not know what was the path of duty. 
For example; on one occasion he felt a 
strong desire rise up in his heart to build a 
temple for God's worship, that the ark might 
have a suitable dwelling-place where it 
would be better sheltered than by the cur- 
tains of the tabernacle. But, strong as his 
desire was, he could not tell whether this 
thing would be pleasing to God or not. 
Perhaps he searched through the com- 
mandments that had been written down 
by Moses; perhaps he read over and over 
again those chapters that refer to the taber- 
nacle; and perhaps he tried to discover 
whether there was not some little sentence, 
he had not noticed, which gave directions 
about a temple to be built in after-times. 
But he failed to find it. Still, his desire 
grew stronger and stronger; yet no light 
dawned upon his path. Oh, what longings 
he must have had to know God's will in 
the matter ! At length he could no farther 
f . 



82 KENNETH FORBES. 



restrain his anxiety. He sent for Nathan 
the prophet, and consulted him. The pro- 
phet was so pleased with the king's zeal, 
and with the new project which that zeal 
had devised, that he immediately encouraged 
him by saying, ' Go, do all that is in thine 
heart; for the Lord is with thee.' The 
Lord, however, knew David's real wishes, 
and saw that it was not the advice of his 
earthly friend, but the will of his God, that 
he was seeking: therefore the word of the 
Lord came to Nathan and told him to 
hasten and prevent the king from fulfilling 
his purpose. So that very night the pro- 
phet went into the presence of his royal 
master, and opened his message with the 
solemn words, ' Thus saith the Lord.' What 
effect do you think these words would have 
on David?" 

Kenneth. They would make him listen 
very attentively and try to recollect all that 
was said. 

"We might easily imagine the scene. 
There is David's room, with his harp hung 
up against the wall ; and who can say but 
that among the things on the table there 
may have been something already written 



PARALLEL CLAUSES. 



in reference to the great work on which his 
heart was set, — a letter, perhaps, already- 
begun to King Hiram of Tyre to treat with 
him about sending cedar-wood and skilful 
workmen ? But this is mere fancy : let 
us pass on to reality. David finds he is 
about to receive a direct intimation of God's 
will. He starts with surprise and pleasure ; 
his pantings after God's commandments are 
about to be gratified. He bends forward in 
the attitude of reverent attention ; nay, I 
think I can see him almost literally sitting 
with open mouth, as if to catch every sylla- 
ble, while his breathing becomes shorter 
and quicker, so absorbed is he in the pro- 
phet's discourse. Truly he could say, 'I 
opened my mouth, and drew in my breath, 
for my delight was in thy commandments.' " 

Constance. Oh, mother, that is just like 
the boy who sits near us on Sunday morn- 
ings. Father says he looks as if he were 
drinking in every word. 

"That boy is indeed one of those that 
long for God's commandments, and he loses 
no opportunity of learning more about 
them. But now I wish to show you how 
sincere David was in his desire to know 



84 KENNETH FORBES. 



God's will. The message that Nathan 
brought was a great disappointment to the 
king, as far as his own personal wishes were 
concerned. But it was a message from God. 
David did not forget this; and therefore, if 
you could have watched his countenance, 
you would not have seen its brightness pass 
away; you would not have seen any shade 
of sorrow gathering on it. No: he had 
wished to know what he ought to do; and 
now that he knew it he was content. Nay, 
he was more than content ; he was thank- 
ful. There was no outward show of calmness 
put on while the prophet was by ; for David 
went at once into the presence of God and 
poured out his inmost feelings in the lan- 
guage of joy and gratitude. While forbid- 
ding him one thing, God had promised him 
many more. The command David knew 
to be right, and the promise he felt to be 
swee£. So he neither did see, nor could 
see, any thing in this message to disturb his 
peace. Had he been longing to get his own 
will and his own way, it would have been 
very different; then he would have for- 
gotten the gracious part of the message 
and remembered only the disappointing 



PARALLEL CLAUSES. 85 



part of it. His ready and cheerful sub- 
mission proved that it was really for God's 
commandments that he had longed." 

Ella. Did Nathan often bring messages 
to David in this way? 

"We have several instances of his doing 
so; and there was another prophet, called 
Gad, who was sent on similar errands, and 
who is expressly described as ' David's seer.' 
But it was not to the prophets only that 
David was indebted as declarers of God's 
will. Very often he was at a loss to know 
when he should go out to war against the 
enemies of Israel. He looked at God's 
written law, and there he saw some special 
rules as to how he should fight, but not the 
directions he wanted as to when he should 
fight. In such cases, therefore, he usually, 
went to the high-priest. The latter put on 
his ephod and breastplate; the king then 
inquired, < Shall I go up and smite them ?' 
and the priest, having received an answer 
from God, made it known to David." 

Ella. "Would it not be nice for us if we 
had such an easy way now of getting out 
of our perplexities ? 



86 KENNETH FORBES. 



Kenneth. Why, Ella, I don't think you 
can have any great perplexities. 

Mia. No ; but I have heard grown-up 
people saying they wished they knew how 
to make up their minds; and so perhaps, 
when I am older, I may feel the same. That 
is why I asked. 

"It was a very useful question, and is 
easily answered. Those who are the chil- 
dren of God are seldom left long at a loss 
about what they ought to do. The Bible is 
now complete ; and they find there abun- 
dant light as to the general principles of 
right and wrong. If they consult that holy 
book with sincerity of heart, thej^ cannot 
long hesitate what to choose as good and 
w T hat to reject as evil. The only matters 
of duty about which God's word leaves us 
in any doubt are those which relate to the 
management of our earthly affairs. We 
may, for instance, see two paths open before 
us ; we may feel quite sure that there w r ould 
be nothing sinful in our pursuing either; 
but we may be puzzled to know which 
would be wisest and best. In such a case 
we may still inquire of God, as David did ; 



PARALLEL CLAUSES. 87 



we may pray to be guided ; and if we are 
really longing to know and do God's will, 
he often answers our prayers by causing 
some event to happen that makes our de- 
cision quite easy." 

Constance. But then the decision would 
still have to be of our own making, would 
it not ? 

" Undoubtedly it would. But if we came 
to that decision honestly, — I mean, if we 
truly wished to decide right, — and if, after 
earnest prayer, we made judgment (and 
not inclination) our guide, we should have 
full reason to believe that God had helped 
us to choose wisely. I once heard a Chris- 
tian say that if, after having made such a 
choice in such a spirit, she yet found the 
way in which she was walking, turn out to 
be a rough and painful one, she should still 
feel certain that had she been left to choose 
the other course it w^ould either have proved 
more rough and more painful, or else, if a 
smooth road, it might have been an unsafe 
one. However, we must not go on any 
longer. You may find me the best paral- 
lelisms you can for to-morrow morning. 
And just tell me, before you go, what is 



KENNETH FORBES. 



the chief lesson to be learned from what 
has occupied our attention to-day?" 

Constance, That we should long to know 
God's word better than we do. 

" To know it more accurately and to obey 
it more perfectly. If you long after these 
things so as to pant after them, you will im- 
prove every opportunity of gaining fresh in- 
formation about Scripture truth. Every 
sermon will be more precious, every Bible- 
class more interesting, every good book 
more valued, in proportion as it tells you 
more about God's will. And to you espe- 
pecially, Constance, I would say that this 
will be a happy year if throughout its days 
and weeks and months you are found long- 
ing after God's testimonies." 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 89 



CHAPTER V. 

CONTRASTED CLAUSES; OR, THE RENEWED 
HEART. 

Constance was not a selfish, little girl, 
and she therefore felt it a pleasure to lend 
her new Bible to her brother and sister, that 
they might search out some parallelisms by 
its help. Having soon collected a great 
number, they agreed together not to give 
any from the Book of Psalms, which con- 
tains so many, but to read the very best 
that they had met with in other parts of 
the Bible. Ella chose the following verses 
from Prov. i. :— 

24. "Because I have called, and ye refused; 

I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded ; 

25. But ye have set at nought all my counsel, 
And would none of my reproof; 

26. I also will laugh at your calamity ; 
I will mock when your fear cometh ; 

r When your fear cometh as desolation, 

27. < And your destruction cometh as a whirlwind 
( When distress and anguish cometh upon you. 

8* 



90 KENNETH FORBES. 



28. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer ; 
They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me ; 

29. For that they hated knowledge, 

And did not choose the fear of the Lord ; 

30. They would none of my counsel ; 
They despised all my reproof. 

31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own 
way, 
And be filled with their own devices." 

Constance had fixed on Habakkuk iii. 17, 
18:— 

17. "Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, 

Neither shall fruit be in the vines ; 
The labour of the olive shall fail, 
And the fields shall yield no meat ; 
The flock shall be cut off from the fold, 
And there shall be no herd in the stalls ; 

18. Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, 

I will joy in the God of my salvation." 

The portion Kenneth read was part of 
Deut. xxxii. : — 

2. " My doctrine shall drop as the rain, 

My speech shall distil as the dew ; 

As the small rain upon the tender herb, 

And as the showers upon the grass; 

3. Because I will publish the name of the Lord ; 
Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 91 



4. He is the Rock, his work is perfect ; 
For all his ways are judgment. 
A God of truth, and without iniquity, 
Just and right is he." 

"Now," said Mrs. Forbes, "I must re- 
mind you that sometimes two clauses of a 
verse, instead of giving the same sense, may 
have an exactly opposite meaning. Instead 
of being parallelisms, they may be contrasts. 
I think you have learned something in 
your lessons about contrast/' 

Kenneth. Oh, yes, — in my grammar. "An- 
tithesis, or contrast, is founded on the oppo- 
sition of two objects, and has always the 
effect of making each of the contrasted 
objects appear in the stronger light." . . . 

" Ella looks as if she would like to finish 
it." 

Ella. " White, for instance, never appears 
so bright as when it is opposed to black, 
and when both are viewed together." 

"And can you tell me in which part of 
the Bible we may find most examples of 
contrast?" 

"In Proverbs," was the ready answer of 
all the children. 

"Do you think you can repeat any?' 



92 KENNETH FORBES. 






Constance. There is the verse I learned 
for yesterday morning: — " The lip of truth 
shall be established forever; but a lying 
tongue is but for a moment." 

Kenneth. And this would do : — "A wise 
son maketh a glad father ; but a foolish son 
is the heaviness of his mother." 

Mia. I cannot think of one, mother. 

" Don't you remember this verse ? — 6 The 
wicked flee when' " 

Mia. . . . "when no man pursueth, but 
the righteous are bold as a lion." 

"I should like to show you to-day the 
importance of paying attention to these 
contrasts, as they sometimes help us to 
gather the right meaning of a text. Turn 
to Proverbs xiv. 6." 

Constance. 

"A scorner seeketh wisdom, but findeth it not; 
But knowledge is easy to him that under standeth." 

"Here," resumed Mrs. Forbes, "is one 
common object said to be sought by two 
different characters, and sought with two 
different results. "What is the object that 
both characters are seeking?" 

Constance. "Wisdom, or knowledge. 

"And what is the result of their search ?" 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 93 



Kenneth. One does not find it at all, and 
the other finds it easily. 

"What is the character of him who seeks 
but finds it not?" 

Mia. He is called "a scorner." 

"What is meant in the Bible by a 
scorner?'' 

Kenneth. One who despises God's truth 
and mocks at it. 

"You would hardly have expected such 
a one to seek wisdom at all; and yet it 
may be that at times he is to be found in- 
quiring after it. When he does so, how- 
ever, he is actuated by no right motive and 
aims at no good end. If he ever seeks wis- 
dom, it is as Herod desired to see a miracle, 
— through mere curiosity ;* or as Pilate asked, 
c What is truth ?' — in proud unbelief ;f or as 
Simon the sorcerer coveted the gift of the 
Holy Ghost, — -from the hope of worldly 
gain ;t or as the Athenians inquired into 
Paul's strange doctrine, — from love of no- 
velty^ What reason can you give why 
they who seek wisdom in such a spirit 
should fail to find it ?" 

* Luke xxiii. 8. f John xviii. 88. . 

% Acts viii. 18, 19. \ Acts xvii. 19-21. 



94 KENNETH EORBES. 



Constance. Because they seek amiss. But 
was not Paul a scorner ? And yet he found 
the knowledge of Christ. 

" That is true. But it was not as a 
scorner that he found it. So long as he 
was ' exceeding mad' against the Christians 
he received not an iota of Christian truth. 
But the grace of God changed his heart. 
The voice from heaven which spake to him 
on the road to Damascus set his sins in 
order before him ; his proud heart was 
humbled; he ceased to be a scorner; and 
then the truths of Christianity found en- 
trance into his mind." 

Constance. Oh, yes. Thank you, mother : I 
see that quite plainly now. 

"Let us turn our attention to the re- 
maining clause : — ' Knowledge is easy to 
him that understandeth.' If we looked at 
this sentence by itself, it would seem a very 
unnecessary, a very useless one. It appears 
at first sight to convey no thought, to sug- 
gest no idea. You would think it as unim- 
portant as if I were to say, Seeing is easy to 
those who have good eyes ; or, "Walking is 
easy to those who have the use of their 
limbs. But when God's word tells us that 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 95 



'knowledge is easy to him that under- 
standeth,' there must be some meaning in 
it that will come out on closer examination. 
And we get a clew to that meaning if we 
notice the antithesis or opposition here pre- 
sented to us." 

Kenneth. The scorner is the opposite of 
"him who understandeth." 

" Then it is clear enough that by ' him 
who understandeth' is meant one who is 
not a scorner ; one who seeks wisdom ear- 
nestly, humbly and holily ; one who seeks 
it not from curiosity, but from conviction 
of its truth ; not with pride, but with lowli- 
ness of heart ; not from worldly, but from 
spiritual, motives ; not from love of novelty, 
but from love of the truth. The Scripture 
use of the word ' understanding' is told us 
in Job xxviii. 28." 

Constance. " Behold, the fear of the Lord, 
that is wisdom ; and to depart from evil is 
understanding." 

"The man, then, who has true under- 
standing is one who departs from evil, one 
whose heart has been turned from sin to 
holiness. And to such a man ' knowledge 
is easy.' "While the scorner who seeks amiss 



96 KENNETH FORBES. 



seeks in vain, the right-hearted man comes 
easily to the knowledge of the truth. His 
soul has been brought into sympathy with 
truth, his affections have been won over to 
the side of truth. There is no longer any 
veil of prejudice to blind his eyes, no 
longer any bias of enmity to warp his judg- 
ment. The chief obstacles have been taken 
out of his path, and he presses forward 
eagerly in the pursuit of wisdom. What 
kind of wisdom or knowledge is here in- 
tended?" 

Constance. Knowledge of God. 

"Yes; the reference is to the highest 
wisdom, — even to heavenly wisdom ; but 
yet to a great extent the proverb will apply, 
though in a lower sense, to earthly know- 
ledge. Take any branch of study, — for 
example, music, — and tell me which of your 
cousins makes greatest progress : is it Jane 
or Emily?" 

Constance. Oh, Jane gets on best, because 
she has a good ear and is fond of music, 
and practises a great deal ; but Emily can- 
not endure it, and does not play a note 
more than she can help. 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 97 



"And which is the best Latin scholar,— 
Ralph or Arthur?" 

Kenneth. Ralph, certainly, — though he is 
two years younger, and did not begin 
nearly so soon ; but I suppose that is for 
the same reason you were speaking of: he 
has a taste for it, and works hard, while 
Arthur dislikes it, and takes no pains to 
get on. 

"Ah, that is the secret! I have often 
heard him saying, ' Oh, what is the use of 
learning Latin V and if any one has- tried to 
explain it to him, he has not had patience 
to listen, because he did not wish to be con- 
vinced of its usefulness. In regard to the 
truths of science, too, we may often meet 
with instances of the scorner seeking wis- 
dom but finding it not. Some valuable 
discovery is made, or some useful invention 
started, and the man whose interests are 
threatened by it may come forward with 
many questions and much seeming desire 
of knowledge ; but he has no real wish for 
information, and therefore, in spite of the 
clearest evidence, he may often remain un- 
convinced of what the unprejudiced mind 
can easily perceive. So it is in respect of 



98 KENNETH FORBES. 



divine things. When they are rejected, it 
is because their purity is distasteful to the 
unrenewed heart; while they are readily 
received and joyously welcomed by the 
humble and contrite spirit. Perhaps you 
will see this more clearly if we examine the 
different texts that prove it. Last night I 
made out a list of passages which show that 
our receiving or rejecting the truth depends 
on whether we are of a loving and obedient 
or of a proud and rebellious disposition. 
Will you read them to me one by one, if I 
tell you where to find them ? Look at the 
first part of Psalm xiv. 1." 

Kenneth. " The fool hath said in his heart, 
There is no God." 

"You see this saying is traced to its 
source. It k prompted not by the convic- 
tion of the understanding, but by the in- 
clination of the heart, The fool says, 
'There is no God,' because he wishes there 
were none. He denies God's existence be- 
cause he dreads God's anger. So, too, 
when the Deist says, 'There is no revela- 
tion,' his words are the echo of his wish: 
he doubts the claims of the Bible only be- 
cause he dislikes the statements of the 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 99 



Bible. The unbeliever also says, c There is 
no atonement;' but it is his heart which 
has dictated the language : he spurns the 
provisions of mercy only because he will 
not stoop to own the need of mercy. Every 
wrong opinion flows from a wrong state of 
feeling. Now read Psalm xxv. 9, 12, 14; 
and just lay stress on those words which 
form the proof we are wanting." 

Constance. " The meek will he guide in 
judgment; the meek will he teach his way." 
"What man is he that feareth the Lord? 
him shall he teach in the way that he shall 
choose." "The secret of the Lord is with 
them that fear him ; and he will show them 
his covenant." 

" Contrast with that, Psalm lviii. 3-5." 

Ella. "The wicked are estranged from 
the womb ; they go astray as soon as they 
be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like 
the poison of a serpent; they are like the 
deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, which will 
not hearken to the voice of charmers, charm- 
ing never so wisely." 

"The meek find knowledge easily, for 
God himself becomes their teacher ; but the 
wicked atop their ears against his messen- 



100 KENNETH FORBES. 



gers and bar their hearts against his truth. 
Turn to Psalm cvii. 43. " 

Kenneth. ""Whoso is wise, and will ob- 
serve these things, even they shall under- 
stand the loving-kindness of the Lord." 

" Their wisdom is seen in their willing- 
ness to observe; and that watchfulness of 
heart renders them quick in understanding 
God's ways. There is another verse like 
that in Hosea xiv. 9." 

Constance. "Who is wise, and he shall 
understand these things? prudent, and he 
shall know them ? for the ways of the Lord 
are right, and the just shall walk in them, 
but the transgressors shall fall therein." 

" Let me hear the middle clause of Psalm 
cxi. 10." 

Ella. "A good understanding have all 
they that do his commandments." 

"JSTot 'they that know his command- 
ments,' though you might have deemed 
that a fitter word in connection with ' a 
good understanding.' But, no: it is the 
obedient who are spoken of, — they who do 
God's commandments. To practise what 
we already know is the best preparation for 
knowing more. Now, Psalm cxix. 100." 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 101 



Kenneth. "I understand more than the 
ancients, because I keep thy precepts." 

" In the book of Proverbs we shall find 
many such texts. Look at chapter viii. 
8, 9." 

Constance. " All the words of my mouth 
are in righteousness : there is nothing fro- 
ward or perverse in them. They are all 
plain to him that under 'standeth, and right to 
them th&t find knowledge." 

"There are some men to whom God's 
words seem froward and perverse ; but it is 
only to scorners they appear so. They are 
plain to such as have an understanding 
heart, and right to them who 'find know- 
ledge;' — that is, who have sought know- 
ledge by the right means and in a right 
spirit, — namely, by means of prayer and in 
a spirit of faith. Read the first clause of 
chapter x. 8." 

Mia. It is my turn. " The wise in heart 
will receive commandments." 

" The wise in heart. If there be know- 
ledge only in the intellect, God's precepts 
may be disregarded ; but when the heart is 
right, they will be obe} 7 ed. Go on to chap- 
ter xvii. 16." 

9* 



102 KENNETH FORBES. 



Kenneth. " Wherefore is there a price in 
the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he 
hath no heart to it?" What does that verse 
mean, mother? 

"It means, < Of what use is it for a fool 
to be surrounded with means and oppor- 
tunities of being taught ? Of what use is it 
that he can pay for instruction V Of little 
use indeed to him, because he has no ear- 
nest desire to avail himself of such pri- 
vileges. What do you find in chapter 
xxviii. 5 ?" 

Constance. " Evil men understand not 
judgment; but they that seek the Lord 
understand all things." 

" That is to say, they understand all 
things that he sees fit to unfold to them. 
In Jer. xxiv. 7 we find a promise on this 
subject." 

Mia. "I will give them a heart to know 
me, that I am the Lord." 

"You would rather have expected to find, 
' I will give them an intellect to know me, 
I will give them greater powers of mind, 
that they may get right ideas concerning 
me.' But, instead of this, God promises 
what we more need, namely, a right state 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 103 



of heart, that will dispose us to seek after 
the knowledge of his ways." 

Constance. Is not that like the promise in 
Jer. xxxi. 33? — "I will put my law in their 
inward parts, and write it in their hearts." 

" Neither the mind nor the memory would 
be enough : it must be in the soul itself in 
order to be effectual. Now we come to 
Daniel xii. 10. We shall want the last two 
clauses." 

Kenneth. " None of the wicked shall under- 
stand ; but the wise shall understand." Oh, 
is not that another verse in which the con- 
trast is of use ? When the wise are opposed 
to the wicked, does it not mean (as you 
were saying) those whose wisdom is the fear 
of the Lord ? 

"Yes: I am glad to see that you under- 
stand this use of contrasted clauses. Look 
next at Hosea vi. 3, and tell me how it 
begins." 

Constance. "Then shall we know, if we 
follow on to know the Lord." 

" You see it is only to persevering earnest- 
ness that the promise is given. Find Micah 
ii. 7, and read me the last question the pro- 
phet there asks." 



104 KENNETH FORBES. 



Ella could not succeed in turning to Micah 
for some little time, and was all the longer 
from her impatient way of searching; but 
Mrs. Forbes reminded her that to stop and 
think a minute would take less time in the 
end than desperately turning the leaves of 
her book backward and forward in the hope 
of lighting on what she wanted. It needed 
but little thought. She instantly remem- 
bered that Micah was neither at the very 
beginning nor near the very end of the 
minor prophets ; and while she turned 
gently back from the concluding books of 
the Old Testament, she recollected part of 
some lines her mother had once taught 
her : — 

'Amos too, and Obadiah, 
Jonah's gourd, and Micah's lyre." 

Her Bible was open at Jonah ; so she knew 
she had only the next leaf to turn over, 
and there she found what she was seeking. 
All this took up but a minute's time, though 
it takes so long to describe it. Having found 
her place, she read the concluding words of 
the verse : — " Do not my words do good to 
him that walketh uprightly?" 

"Many," said Mrs. Forbes, "have God's 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 105 



word in their hands, but they get no good 
from it; and the reason is just this, — they 
are not among the number who ' walk up- 
rightly.' There is either a want of honesty 
in their spirit, or a want of holiness in their 
life; and therefore God will not manifest 
himself unto them. But it is time we 
should pass on to the New Testament. You 
will find one proof in Matt. vi. 22, 23." 

Kenneth. "The light of the body is the 
eye : if therefore thine eye be single, thy 
whole body shall be full of light But if 
thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be 
full of darkness." 

"The sun may shine brightly, but the 
blind man cannot see it and the diseased 
eye cannot bear it : so God's truth is clear 
in itself, but our understanding of it de- 
pends on our powers of spiritual vision. If 
the soul is blinded by worldly affections, 
then all within is darkness. But where 
there is a love of heavenly things, there 
heavenly light will shine into the mind. 
Preparedness of heart is further spoken of 
in Luke viii. 15." 

Constance. I think I know what you mean, 
without looking for it. Is it not where Christ 



106 KENNETH FORBES. 



explains the seed that fell into good ground 
as representing those "that in an honest 
and good heart, having heard the word, 
keep it" ? 

" Quite right. You will find an instance 
of a contrary state of mind in John v. 44." 

Ella. "How can ye believe which receive 
honour one of another, and seek not the 
honour that cometh from God only ?" 

"It was the worldly ambition of their 
carnal hearts that was the cause of their 
rejecting Christ. In John vii. 17 you will 
find a very important passage." 

Kenneth " If any man will do his will, he 
shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of 
God, or whether I speak of myself." 

" Here is a good test of a man's sincerity. 
If he begins to inquire about Christian truth, 
let him consider his motives. Is he really 
wishful to do God's will? God sets before 
him duty as well as doctrine : if he is pre- 
pared to give heed to the former, he has the 
Saviour's promise that he shall not be left 
in any doubt about the latter. In the next 
chapter you will find a similar test of cha- 
racter, — verse 47." 

Constance. "He that is of God heareth 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 107 



God's words: ye therefore hear them not, 
because ye are not of God." 

" There are two other verses like that,* 
but we must pass them over; for I want 
you to observe what Paul says about this. 
Turn to 1 Cor. ii. 14." 

Ella. "But the natural man receiveth not 
the things of the Spirit of God; for they 
are foolishness unto him: neither can he 
know them, because they are spiritually 
discerned." 

" You know how it is with a person look- 
ing at a picture in a wrong light : he sees 
in it no beauty, and wonders at the value 
that others set upon it. In vain you talk to 
him about its effective outline, its judicious 
groupings and its exquisite colouring. 
"While he remains where he is, he cannot 
possibly discern the merits of which you 
speak. But so soon as he consents to be 
placed in another position and views the 
painting in another aspect, his praises of it 
may far outstrip your own. In like manner, 
the unconverted man cannot see the ex- 
cellencies of the gospel, because his heart 

* John xviii. 37, and 1 John iv. 6. 



108 KENNETH FORBES. 



is in a wrong state, a wrong position, a 
wrong attitude towards it. The glimmer- 
ing reflection of his pride and self-righteous- 
ness make his views of truth partial and 
confused. But when the grace of God 
turns his heart, he sees the gospel as it were 
in a new light, he marks its harmony, he 
owns its thrilling power, he acknowledges 
that it must have come from a master-hand, 
even from the very hand of God himself. 
We must now read the last part of 2 Thess. 
ii. 10." 

Kenneth. " They received not the love of 
the truth that they might be saved." 

" In the next verse but one we are told 
what they did love : — they ' had pleasure in 
unrighteousness.' There is no salvation 
for such as continue to love sin and to live 
in sin. The next proof I set down was 
2 Tim. iii. 7." 

Constance. "Ever learning, and never able 
to come to the knowledge of the truth." 

"What a grievous state! Yet it is the 
state of very many ! They are taught in 
their youth, taught at home, taught in the 
sanctuary, taught by the Bible, taught by 
friends. They are ever learning. Yet, in 



CONTRASTED CLAUSES. 109 



spite of all these privileges, they never come 
to the knowledge of the truth. You gather 
the reason from the former verse, where 
such are described as ' laden with sins and 
led away with divers lusts/ If you would 
not be of this number, my children, you 
must obey the exhortation of Peter in his 
first epistle, ii. 1, 2." 

Mia. " Wherefore, laying aside all malice, 
and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, 
and all evil-speakings, as new-born babes, 
desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye 
may grow thereby." 

" In order to benefit by God's word, we 
must lay aside all these evils, which, you 
see, are evils of the heart. That we may 
do this, we must pray for the renewing 
influences of the Holy Spirit. And this 
brings us to the last passage we have to 
look for at present, — 1 John ii. 20." 

Kenneth. " Ye have an unction from the 
Holy One, and ye know all things." 

"There can be no right knowledge of 
divine truth without this inward anointing 
of the Holy Spirit. Bear this in mind, my 
dear children. I know that you have a cer- 
tain delight in good things ; you have been 

10 



110 KENNETH FORBES. 



taught to love the truth and trained to love 
it; but perhaps you only love it because 
your friends do, or else because you like 
the way in which it is explained to you. 
Remember, this is not sufficient. You must 
love the truth heartily ; you must love it for 
its own sake. Pray earnestly that God 
would give you a heart to know the truth 
by giving you a disposition to obey it. 
You, Constance, may keep a record of to- 
day's lesson by copying in your extract- 
book these words of Pascal : — ' In order to 
love human things, it is necessary to know them; 
in order to know those things that are divine, it 
is necessary to love them.' " 



A SINGLE VERSE. Ill 



CHAPTER VI. 

A SINGLE VERSE; OR, THE OASIS IN THE 
DESERT. 

"Mother," said Kenneth, "we thought 
we never could find examples of what you 
showed us yesterday. We found plenty of 
contrasted clauses, but none in which they 
seemed to explain each other. So we asked 
father to find some for us; and when he 
had shown us two or three it seemed much 
easier, and we found some ourselves after- 
wards." 

"Oh, yes," added Constance: "I think 
you will say we have all got good ones." 

Ella. Mine is in Prov. xiv. 9 : — "Fools 
make a mock at sin, but among the right- 
eous there is favour." I thought, as "fools" 
are here the opposite to "the righteous," it 
must mean, not stupid, but wicked men, 
as you once told us it often does in the 
Bible. 

Constance. And in Prov. xv. 19 the " sloth- 



112 KENNETH FORBES. 



ful" man is contrasted with " the righteous. " 
Does this not teach that slothfulness is a 
sin? 

".Undoubtedly; just as you read in the 
New Testament, 'Thou wicked and sloth- 
ful servant.' And what is your's, my boy ?" 

Kenneth. We have found them all in 
Proverbs. Mine is in chapter xiv. 21. It 
says, "He that despiseth his neighbour sin- 
neth ; but he that hath mercy on the poor, 
happy is he." As sinning is here contrasted 
with being happy, it may teach us that sin 
and happiness cannot go together. 

"And can you tell me any of those your 
father found for you ?" 

Kenneth. Yes, mother: I put down four 
of them. Here is the list. 

Mrs. Forbes took it, and saw that they 
were neatly written down in the very order 
in which they occur in the Bible. She had 
never asked her children to put down their 
proofs in this way ; but whenever she had 
made a list of texts for them she had 
always done it so, and they had not only 
noticed her orderly plan, but they had also 
tried to imitate it Kenneth's paper was as 
follows :- — 



A SINGLE VERSE. 118 



Prov. xi. 13. The talebearer contrasted with the faithful ; because 

talebearers are usually unfaithful to any trust re- 
posed in them. 
xv. 26. The words contrasted with the thoughts ; because out 
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 
xxviii. 20. The faithful contrasted with those that make haste to 
be rich: because too great haste to be rich often 
leads men to get wealth unjustly. 
xxviii. 25. The proud contrasted with the man who puts his trust 
in the Lord; because it is pride that makes us trust 
in ourselves instead of in God. 

"You promised us last night," said Ken- 
neth, "when father was telling us the mean- 
ing of the word ' oasis/ that we should have 
something about it in our class to-daj^." 

" Tell me first whether you remember 
what the word signifies." 

Kenneth. A green spot in the midst of a 
sandy desert. 

"Do you remember any thing in the 
Bible about an oasis ?" 

Constance. No, indeed : I'm nearly sure I 
never saw the word there. 

"You never did; for the word is not to 
be found in Scripture, but the thing itself 
is very clearly described. Do you not re- 
member when the Israelites were in the 
desert, marching slowly over the hot sand, 
— men and beasts alike panting for the cool 
breath of heaven and fainting for want of 

H 10* 



114 KENNETH FORBES. 



water to refresh their parched lips ? They 
were almost disposed to turn back again to 
Egypt : they remembered its vines and figs 
and pomegranates, as well as the delicious 
waters of the Nile,* and they could scarcely 
be persuaded to go farther on into the 
desert. But Moses encouraged them. Per- 
haps he told them these were only hard- 
ships by the way, and that the way would 
have an end, and that the end was too 
precious to be given up. So they toiled on 
and on, till suddenly 4 they came to Elim, 
where were twelve wells of water and 
threescore and ten palm-trees ; and they 
encamped there by the waters. 'f Only 
think of their joy, when the trees sheltered 
them from the scorching sunbeams and the 
rustling foliage fanned their fevered cheeks 
and the bubbling wells yielded them an 
abundant and refreshing supply ! But Elim 
was only an oasis. Passing on, they found 
themselves in the wilderness of Sin, ready 
to die of hunger and of thirst. However, 
it is not of Elim we are going to read to- 
day. There is one verse in the Bible which 

* Num. xx. 5. f Ex. xv. 27. 



A SINGLE VERSE. 115 



has often been compared to an oasis in the 
desert. It is in 1 Chron. iv. 10." 

Ella, What a lot of hard names ! Oh, 
but this is an easy verse. May I read it ? 
"And Jabez called on the God of Israel, 
saying, Oh that thou wouldst bless me in- 
deed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine 
hand might be with me, and that thou 
wouldst keep me from evil, that it may not 
grieve me ! And God granted him that 
which he requested." 

Kenneth. Why is this like an oasis ? 

" Because just as an oasis is a green and 
fruitful spot in the midst of a dry and barren 
wilderness, so these words full of beauty 
are found in the midst of chapters full of 
nothing but hard names. How many such 
chapters come together here?" 

Constance. From the first to — the — end of 
the ninth. Nine chapters, mother. 

" Many of the names are very difficult to 
read, and when we have read them we do 
not find in them any thing to feed and re- 
fresh the soul : so that we are almost 
tempted to pass them over. But it would 
not be right to do this. If God has put 
them in the Bible, they must be of some use." 



116 KENNETH FORBES. 



Ella. Oh, mother, of what use can they be ? 

"These chapters contain lists of family- 
names. You have seen the old Bible in 
which your grandfather has written down, 
on a blank leaf, my name and the names of 
your uncles and aunts, with the day and 
year when each of us was born. And you 
have seen the one in which father has set 
down the names of Kenneth and Constance 
and Ella and little Malcolm. But these 
two lists are interesting only to our own 
little circle : it would be of no use to pub- 
lish them for the whole world to read. It 
was not so, however, with, the family-lists of 
the Jews. These were of great importance, 
as helping to show that Jesus was really 
the promised Saviour. The first prophecy 
of the Messiah only told that he should 
be of 'the seed of the woman.' But after 
a while, when Adam's children had spread 
far and wide over the earth, another pro- 
phecy was given ; and to whom was it said, 
'In thy seed shall all the nations of the 
earth be blessed' ?" 

Constance. To Abraham. 

"And to whom was that same promise 
afterwards repeated?" 



A SINGLE VERSE. 117 



Kenneth. To Isaac, and again to Jacob. 

" Just so. When the prophecy of Christ's 
coming had been limited to Abraham's seed, 
then it was further restricted to Isaac's — not 
Ishmael's — children ; and then again to the 
race of Jacob, and not of Esau. To which 
tribe of Jacob's race was it yet further 
limited?" 

Kenneth. To the tribe of Judah 

" And to what household in that tribe ?" 

Constance. David's. 

" That is right. And as the Jewish house- 
holds kept their lists of names very accu- 
rately that they might rightly know to what 
tribe each one belonged, so some of these 
lists were kept in the Bible, to show us that 
Jesus was indeed of the tribe of Judah and 
of the family of David, as it had been fore- 
told. But this is not the only use that may 
be made of such chapters. When we read 
these long lists of people who have lived 
and died ages ago, we see how true it is 
that ' one generation passeth away and 
another generation cometh,' and we are 
reminded that it was sin which brought 
death into the world. There was once a 
very ungodly, worldly man, who had never 



118 KENNETH FORBES. 



thought about his soul. But yet he used 
to go to church every Sunday morning ; and 
once the lesson for the day was Genesis v., 
which contains the names often patriarchs, 
with the number of years each of them 
lived, while of every one separately it is 
said, ' And he died.' The constant repeat- 
ing of those few short words, ' And he died,' 
not only fell upon this sinner's ear, but by 
God's blessing sank into his heart. He 
went home feeling as he never felt before : — 
'It will one day be said of me, " And he 
died." He was led to see how unfit he 
was for death. He asked, ' What must I do 
to be saved ?' he sought forgiveness through 
Jesus Christ ; and ever afterwards he had 
good reason to rejoice that the fifth chapter 
of Genesis had a place in God's holy word. 
You see, then, that no part of the Bible is 
to be deemed useless : every part is of im- 
portance, and every part may do good to 
the soul. Still, there are some portions that 
seem more clearly intended to refresh us 
with spiritual truth. Such is the prayer of 
Jabez, which comes in so unexpectedly in 
the midst of these genealogies. Let us now 
examine it. I think as we once studied a 



A SINGLE VERSE. 119 



clause by taking it word after word, so we 
may study this verse by taking it clause 
after clause — from the beginning." 

Kenneth. " And Jabez called on the God 
of Israel." 

"This mentions who offered the prayer. 
We know very little indeed about Jabez. 
We only know what the former verse tells 
us. His name signifies ' grief;' for 'his 
mother bare him with sorrow.' And as to 
his character, we are told that he was 
< more honourable than his brethren.' They 
were honourable, but he was still more so. 
Then they must have been industrious and 
honest, or else no one could have honoured 
them. Ah ! and they must also have been 
pious and God-fearing men, or they would 
not have been what the Bible calls honour- 
able. In what respects Jabez was more 
honourable than, they were, we are not in- 
formed ; but we have here the cause of his 
special success, — namely, that he made it the 
matter of special prayer. What was the 
first request he offered?" 

Constance. " Oh that thou wouldst bless 
me indeed." 

"He was not satisfied with the honour 



120 KENNETH FORBES. 



that came from men : he wished to have a 
blessing from God : — ' Oh that thou wouldst 
bless me.' He wished to have a personal 
blessing, — a blessing for himself: — ' Oh that 
thou wouldst bless me.' He wished to have 
an abundant blessing : — 4 Oh that thou 
wouldst bless me indeed.' An old writer 
has truly said, 'Whenever God blesses, he 
blesses indeed.' We read of King David 
that he ' blessed his house ;' but he could 
not really confer a blessing on them: he 
could only entreat it in their behalf. It is 
God alone who is able actually to bless us. 
But Jabez went on to specify a particular 
mercy that he desired." 

Mia. " And enlarge my coast." 
"He wished to be prosperous in the 
world and to have fresh fields added to his 
inheritance. But he remembered that his 
own industry and his own honesty would 
fail to insure his success unless God were 
pleased to second his endeavours. It was 
not wrong in Jabez to offer such a prayer. 
He was not in too great haste to be rich, or 
else he would hardly have spared time to 
pray about it. He was not too anxious for 
success ; for he asks it only as a blessing : — 



A SINGLE VERSE. 121 



4 Oh that thou wouldst bless me indeed, 
and enlarge my coast/ He did not wish 
his coast enlarged without God's blessing 
and God's smile. But he did wish it en- 
larged in token of God's favour and in 
connection with God's love. This is a safe 
rule for us. It is no harm to desire pros- 
perity and to enjoy it, w 7 hen we desire it 
and enjoy it only so far as we have God's 
blessing with it. What is the next thing 
this good man asked for ?" 

Constance. " And that thine hand might 
be with me." 

-' Probably Jabez lived about the time 
when the Israelites had just entered the 
promised land, so that before his coast 
could be enlarged he would have to war 
against the Canaanites and drive them out. 
If so, he was here asking that God would 
help him to fight his battles and to conquer 
his enemies. He wished God's hand with 
him to assist him. Or he might be looking 
upon the pathway of life that lay before him, 
and, foreseeing many dangers, he wished 
God's hand with him to guide him. Just as 
a father leads his child by the hand that it 
may not go astray, so Jabez wished to be 
11 



122 KENNETH FORBES. 



led in the right path and kept from wan- 
dering into dangerous courses. And it was 
not enough that he should know the right 
way and walk in it, but he must be kept 
from stumbling: therefore he also wished 
God's hand with him to uphold him. As a 
little child when treading over a slippery 
piece of ice catches hold of its mother's 
outstretched hand, so Jabez looked to God 
for preservation.. He felt like the Psalmist, 
who cried, ' Hold thou me up, and I shall be 
safe.' What is the next clause we come to ?" 

Kenneth " And that thou wouldst keep 
me from evil." 

" The word ' evil' is used in two senses. 
Sometimes it means affliction, — which is 
temporal evil ; and sometimes sin, — which is 
spiritual evil. It is not possible for me to 
say with certainty which of the two Jabez 
intended ; but perhaps he referred to both. 
If he wished to be kept from affliction, the 
surest way was by being kept from sin, 
which is the cause of affliction. If there 
were no sin, there would be no sorrow ; and 
if Jabez was kept holy he would be kept 
happy. What reason does he give for ask- 
ing to be kept from evil ?" 



A SINGLE VERSE. 123 



Kenneth " That it may not grieve me." 
"If he referred to worldly evil, then it 
was true enough that the endurance of this 
would be a thing to grieve him ; for Paul 
tells us that ' no chastening for the present 
seemeth joyous, but grievous.' If he referred 
to spiritual evil, then it reminds us that 
there is nothing so grievous to the heart of 
a pious man as sin. It is in his esteem the 
greatest of all evils, — the deepest of all 
griefs. Before we go on, I must point out 
to you that in these words of Jabez there is 
a beautiful allusion to his own name. What 
is the signification of 'Jabez'?" 
Ella. You said it meant "grief." 
"Yes : but, though he was called a child 
of sorrow, he did not wish really to be such. 
Some one who has turned Jabez's prayer 
into verse has thus given the last clause : — 

1 Oh, lest indeed my name express 

My sad experience, let thy care 
Preserve me safe from all that's evil, 
Every sin and every snare. 

* The God of Israel hears my cry 

And kindly answers my request ; 
And, though they call me ' child of sorrow,' 
Peace shall rule within my breast.' 



124 KENNETH FORBES. 



Now, will you tell me how the story of 
Jabez ends?" 

Constance. "And God granted him that 
which he requested." 

" He did not ask amiss ; and so he did not 
ask in vain. He had asked for right things 
in a right spirit, and he found God to be v 
the hearer and answerer of prayer. We 
shall find it the same if we adopt the course 
that Jabez pursued. You may learn from 
his example to pray over all your worldly 
concerns. If you have lessons to study, 
pray that God would bless you indeed and 
enlarge your knowledge. If you have in 
future years to attend to different worldly 
occupations, pray that God would bless you 
indeed and grant you success. Even in 
trying to get money, men may ask God to 
prosper them and enable them to make 
their way in the world." 

Constance. But is not our case different 
from that of Jabez ? I was reading in some 
book the other day that "prosperity was 
the chief blessing under the Old Testament, 
and adversity Under the New." 

" That is a very common saying ; but I 
rather doubt its correctness. It is true that 



A SINGLE VERSE. 125 



in the Old Testament we have more nu- 
merous promises of temporal blessing than 
in the N"ew; but this is chiefly because the 
Old Testament saints had not such clear 
unfoldings of spiritual joy and such bright 
prospects of heavenly bliss as have been 
granted us through Christ Jesus. The 
writers of the JSTew Testament had higher 
and better things to make mention of, and 
therefore they say but little about pros- 
perity. Yet, when they do speak of it, they 
speak of it just as our hearts tell us they 
should ; for they represent it as a thing we 
cannot fail to desire. They assure us that 
6 godliness is profitable unto all things, 
having the promise of the life that now is,' 
as well as of ''that which is to come.' Jesus, 
when he says, ' Seek ye first the kingdom 
of God and his righteousness/ does not add, 
concerning our earthly supplies, 'and all 
these things you can learn very well to do 
without,' but" .... 

Ella. "All these things shall be added 
unto you." 

" In like manner the Apostle John offered 
for his friend the kind and beautiful peti- 
tion, ' Beloved, I wish above all things that 
11* 



126 KENNETH FORBES. 



thou mayest prosper and be in health, even 
as thy soul prospereth.' He considered it 
no sin to wish for prosperity ; and we may 
safely desire it too, so long as we wish for 
it only in connection with soul-prosperity." 

Constance. But does not the New Testa- 
ment say a great deal about the benefits of 
affliction ? 

" True ; yet the Old Testament does the 
same. In Proverbs, as well as in Hebrews, 
we read, 'Whom the Lord loveth he cor- 
recteth, even as a father the son in whom 
he delighteth.'* In the Psalms, as well as 
in the Epistle of James, we are told, 
'Blessed is the man whom God chastens. 'f 
If Paul speaks of affliction as ' yielding the 
peaceful fruit of righteousness,' Isaiah also 
says of his country's sorrow, 'By this, there- 
fore, shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged, 
and this is all the fruit to take away his 
sin.'j There is but one God revealed to 
us in both Testaments ; and in both, there- 
fore, he appears as a God that 'doth not 



* Prov. iii. 12 ; Heb. xii. 5-7. 
f Ps. xciv. 12 ; James i. 12. 
J Heb. xii. 11; Isa. xxvii. 9. 



A SINGLE VERSE. 127 



afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of 
men.' " 

Kenneth. Oh, mother, I am so glad yon 
think prosperity a good thing ! 

"Yes; in itself it is a good thing. It 
only becomes evil when we make a bad nse 
of it. Prosperity has its snares ; but so also 
has adversity. Prosperity, if abused, will 
make us forgetful of God ; w T hile, if sancti- 
fied, it will only be to us a spiritual 'help, 
leading our thoughts afresh from every 
mercy to the God who gave it. Adversity, 
if rightly improved, will humble us, and 
make us wiser and leave us holier than it 
found us; but, if unsanctified, it will fill 
us with worldly cares and discontented 
thoughts and rebellious complainings. The 
worst lot that can befall us is an unsancti- 
fied providence, whether it be joyous or 
grievous. Sanctified affliction, though pain- 
ful, is profitable. Sanctified prosperity is 
indeed a portion of twofold happiness. This 
is what I would wish for you, my children, 
— that each and all of you may have as 
large a measure of temporal bliss and as 
small an amount of temporal grief as are 
consistent with 'the fullest measure of the 



128 KENNETH FORBES. 



next world's joys.' Imitate the spirit of 
Jabez, and yon will share, the snccess of 
Jabez. Let your daily prayer be that God 
would keep you from sin, that it may not 
grieve you. Entreat his blessing, and then 
(come joy or come sorrow) you will find 
that you are blessed 'indeed/ " 



PARALLEL VERSES. 129 



CHAPTER VII. 

PARALLEL VERSES; OR, THE DISAPPOINTMENT 
AND THE PROMISE. 

It was rather a surprise to Mrs. Forbes, 
when Ella eas;eiiv exclaimed, "We have 
found texts for you so easily this time, mo- 
ther. "We had only to look out for the 
chapters full of names, and then we did not 
need to look far before we found what it 
would do to stop and think about. Shall 
I tell you mine first ? I looked at the chap- 
ter in Genesis that you told us of, and there 
I found, twice over, 'Enoch walked with 

aod: " 

Constance, having tried to find the longest 
catalogue of names in the Epistles, thought 
it was in Romans, the sixteenth chapter; and 
there she found it said of one man that he 
was "approved in Christ;" and of another 
that he u laboured much in the Lord. 7 ' 

Kenneth's turn came next. "I looked,' 1 
i 



130 KENNETH FORBES. 



he said, "in the third of Neheiniah, which 
tells about the men who built the wall. It 
did not look as if I should find any thing at 
all ; but when I came to read it very care- 
fully I found a great many nice verses." 
"Let us hear them/' said his mother. Ken- 
neth proceeded. " First it said of some that 
'their nobles put not their neck to the work 
of their Lord :' that put me in mind of the 
text the Countess of Huntingdon used to 
speak of, — 'Not many mighty, not many 
noble/ Then there was one man men- 
tioned, whose daughters helped him to 
build : would not that be a good verse for 
Constance and Ella to think of? Another 
man set himself to mend the wall < earnestly. ,' 
And, oh, I can't tell you of how many it said 
that they mended ' over against their own 
house ;' just like what father tells us, that, 
c to keep the street clean, every man must 
begin by sweeping before his own door.' ' 

Mrs. Forbes was pleased with the chil- 
dren's diligent searching ; and they agreed 
that in future they would never pass over a 
chapter of names without looking well for 
the hidden beauties it might possibly con- 
tain. When they were ready for their new 



PARALLEL VERSES. 131 



lesson, their mother asked them if they re- 
membered the use of parallel clauses. 

"Yes," said Kenneth: " though they 
keep to the same sense, like two lines keep- 
ing at the same distance, yet one of them 
may be longer or more distinct than the other ; 
and so we get at the meaning better." 

"Very good: now let us see whether we 
can make the same use of parallel verses. 
Suppose we read about David's disappoint- 
ment. Do you recollect my telling you that 
story V 

Mia. Do you mean when God did not 
allow him to build the temple ? Oh, I 
should like to read it in the Bible. "Where 
shall we find it ? 

" There are two accounts of it, and I wish 
you to compare them. Kenneth, turn to 
2 Samuel vii. And you, Constance, may 
read out of 1 Chronicles xvii. For Ella, I 
have written them down side by side ; so 
she shall look over this paper with me. 
"When Kenneth has begun by reading two 
verses, he and Constance will, I think, be 
able to go on reading each a verse in turn. 
As yon know the story, we will not stop, 
except where we find that there is any 



132 KENNETH FORBES. 



difference between the two accounts. We 
just want to find out all the points in which 
the parallel verses are unlike. So you must 
be on the watch. Now, begin." 

2 Sam. vn. 1 Cmtox. xvu. 

Yer. 1, 2. And it came to pass, Ter. 1. Now it came to pass, as 

when the king sat in his house, David sat in his house, that David 

and the Lord had given him rest said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I 

round about from all his enemies, dwell in an house of cedars, but 

that the kiDg said unto Nathan the ark of the covenant of the 

the prophet, See now, I dwell in Lord remaineth under curtains, 
an house of cedar, but the ark of 
God dwelleth within curtains. 

"Will you tell us, Constance, what dif- 
ference you noticed when Kenneth was 
reading his ? Was your's just like it ?" 

Constance, In Samuel it says when this 
happened; that it was when David had 
peace in his kingdom ; but it does not say 
so in Chronicles. 

" Here, then, we get a new idea by com- 
paring the two : we learn that a time of 
leisure should not be spent in selfish ease, 
but in seeking to do something for God. 
JSTow you may go on." 

Ella. But it says in Samuel that the ark 
was "within" curtains, and in Chronicles 
that it was "under" curtains. 

"Is that a difference in meaning, or in 
words only?" 



PARALLEL VERSES. 133 



Kenneth. Only in words. 

"Exactly. The curtains were over the 
top of the tabernacle and round its sides; 
so that the ark was both within them and 
underneath them. I am glad, Ella, you 
noticed the difference, because it shows you 
were attentive. Next time, just ask your- 
self whether there seems to be any differ- 
ence of meaning : that is what we have to 
talk about." 

Yer. 3. And Nathan said to the Yer. 2. Then Nathan said unto 

king, Go, do all that is in thine David, Do all that is in thine heart ; 

heart ; for the Lord is with thee. for God is with thee. 

Yer. 4, 5. And it came to pass Yer. 3, 4. And it came to pass 

that night, that the word of the the same night, that the word of 

Lord came unto Nathan, saying, God came unto Nathan, saying, 

Go and tell my servant David, Go and tell David my servant, 

Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt 

build me an house for me to not build me an house to dwell in. 
dwell in? 

Constance. In Chronicles, it is not a ques- 
tion ; but it says plainly, " Thou shalt not 
build." Is that a difference in meaning ? 

"No. The question, 'Shalt thou,' is put 
so unexpectedly and so emphatically, that it 
is just another way of saying, ' Thou shalt 
not.' Read the inquiry with an expression 
of surprise and disapproval, and you at 
once see that the only true answer is, 'No ; 
it cannot be allowed.' The two verses run 

12 



134 KENNETH FORBES. 



parallel ; only tlie one is a very little clearer 
than the other : in Chronicles the answer is 
expressed, which in Samuel is only supposed. 
What reason was given for the refusal ?" 

Ver. 6. Whereas I have not dwelt Ver. 5. For I have not dwelt in 

in any house since the time that I an house since the day that I 

brought up the children of Israel brought up Israel unto this day; 

out of Egypt, even to this day, but but have gone from tent to tent, 

have walked in a tent and in a and from one tabernacle to an- 

tabernacle. other. 

Kenneth. Oh, it is so different here ! Mo- 
ther, I don't think the last part is parallel 
at all. Look, Constance. 

" It does seem very different at first sight," 
said Mrs. Forbes; "but let us examine it 
a little more closely. What is meant in 
Chronicles by the removal of God's pre- 
sence ' from tent to tent, and from one 
tabernacle to another' ? When the Israelites 
wandered in the desert, was the ark taken 
from one tent or tabernacle to another quite 
different?— Or from a tent and tabernacle 
in one place to the same tent and taber- 
nacle pitched somewhere else?" 

Constance. The same in another place. 

"And so it was after they entered Ca- 
naan. The tabernacle was reared first in 
Gilgal; then in Shiloh; but until the ark 



PARALLEL VERSES. 135 



was taken to Mount Zion, we read of no 
new tabernacle, no new tent, having been 
made. The verse in Chronicles just means 
that God's presence had not yet found a, 
fixed abode, but had moved repeatedly from 
place to place. Now, is there not one word 
in the parallel verse which gives the very 
same thought?" 

Kenneth I don't see one. Which do you 
mean, mother? 

"The word 'walked.' God says he had 
not dwelt anywhere as in a settled abode, 
but in the tent and the tabernacle he had 
walked, moved about, wandered from one 
place to another. Are not the verses quite 
parallel?" 

Kenneth. Yes : it seems clear enough now. 
Shall I go on ? 

Yer. 7. In all the places wherein Yer. 6. Wheresoever I have 

I have walked with all the chil- walked with all Israel, spake I a 

dren of Israel, spake I a word with word to any of the judges of Is- 

any of the tribes of Israel, whom I rael, whom I commanded to feed 

commanded to feed my people Is- my people, saying, Why have ye 

rael, saying, Why build ye not me not built me an house of cedars ? 
an house of cedar ? 

Mia. Stop a minute, Constance, if you 
please : there is only a word of difference 
there ; but it is so different that I think it 
alters the sense. It says "tribes" in one, 



136 KENNETH FORBES. 



and " judges" in the other. How is that, 
mother ? "Which is meant ? 

"If you were to look at a Bible that has 
. marginal readings (Constance will find 
them at the foot of her's) you would see 
the word 'tribes,' where it occurs in Sa- 
muel, carefully altered to 'judges.' And 
indeed the clause which follows shows us 
that this alteration in the margin is a right 
one. Those who were ' commanded to feed 
the people,' to act as shepherds to them, to 
guide and guard them, to provide for them 
and rule over them, could not be the tribes 
themselves, but the judges whom God 
raised up." 

Constance. But how came the word "tribes" 
ever to be used ? 

" It is not so easy to tell you that.. How- 
ever, as you have asked the question, I must 
do my best to answer it. Some people think 
it was used by a figure of speech. It so 
happens that the Hebrew word for 'tribe' 
also signifies ' sceptre ;' and the sceptre, 
which is the sign of dominion, might be 
put figuratively for the judges who held 
that dominion. But others think that the 
word in Samuel was wrongly written, and 



PARALLEL VERSES. 137 



that it was meant to be the same as in 
Chronicles. The two words are exceed- 
ingly like each other : there is but one let- 
ter different in the Hebrew; so that it 
would have been easy to mistake them in 
copying. "We need not be surprised at this, 
if it was so. The great wonder is, that 
when these pages had to be written over 
again and again, we should find only a 
word here, or a letter there, that does not 
seem quite right. Such a mistake as this 
often occurs in our printed works. Ken- 
neth, when I found you reading poetry 
yesterday in the school-room, you were talk- 
ing to Miss Miller about something wrong 
in your book. Do you remember what it 
was?" 

Kenneth. May I go and get it? I can 
show it you in a moment. . . . Here ! 

" Fellows in arms ! whose deeds are known to fame, 
And you whose armour hopes an equal name !" 

— it ought to have been " ardour." 

" You see there is only the difference of 
one letter, but it makes it quite another 
word. How did you decide that ' ardour' 
was the right one ?" 

12* 



138 KENNETH FORBES. 



Kenneth. Because we found it so in one 
of the two copies, and it makes better sense. 

"Well, the old Jews, when they used to 
read this over and compare it with Chro- 
nicles, would see a difference of only one 
letter, and the sense would show them at 
once which was correct." 

■Ella. But the difference is much greater 
in English: " judges" does not sound at all 
like " tribes." 

"No: the difficulty is greater for us. 
This is one way in which we still have to 
bear the curse of Babel." 

Constance. And why did the Jews never 
correct this, if it was a mistake ? 

"Because it was in the Bible, the holy 
book of God, and they did not dare to alter 
it on purpose. They were very careful in 
copying it out, so that if they saw T they had 
made but a few tiny strokes wrong they 
would throw away the whole skin or sheet 
of parchment and begin it over again. 
They did this too superstitiously, perhaps. 
But God brought good out of evil ; and it 
is owing to their extreme care, as well as to 
God's watchful providence, that this sacred 
volume has for so many centuries been kept 



PARALLEL VERSES. 



139 



pure and uncorrupted. Before we go on 
reading, I want you to notice that God 
here gave two reasons to show David why 
he need not build a temple. First, It had 
never been wanted: God had done without 
it. Secondly, It had never been commanded: 
God had never asked for it. The next 
verses prove that this refusal was not given 
in anger." 



Yer. 8. Now, therefore, so shalt 
thou say unto my servant David, 
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I 
took thee from the sheepcote, from 
following the sheep, to he ruler 
over my people, over Israel. 

Ver. 9. And I was with thee 
whithersoever thou wentest, and 
have cut off all thine enemies out 
of thy sight, and have made thee a 
great name, like unto the name of 
the great men that are in the 
earth. 

Yer. 10, 11. Moreover, I will ap- 
point a place for my people Israel, 
and will plant them, that they 
may dwell in a place of their own, 
and move no more; neither shall 
the children of wickedness afflict 
them any more, as heforetime, 
and as since the time that I com- 
manded judges to be over my 
people Israel, and have caused thee 
to rest from .all thine enemies. 
Also the Lord telleth £hee that he 
will make thee an house. 



Ver. 7. Now, therefore, thus shalt 
thou say unto my servant David, 
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I 
took thee from the sheepcote, even 
from following the sheep, that thou 
shouldst he ruler over my people 
Israel. 

Yer. 8. And I have been with 
thee whithersoever thou hast 
walked, and have cut off all thine 
enemies from before thee, and have 
made thee a name like the name 
of the great men that are in the 
earth. 

Yer. 9, 10. Also I will ordain 
a place for my people Israel, and 
will plant them, and they shall 
dwell in their place, and shall be 
moved no more ; neither shall the 
children of wickedness waste them 
any more, as at the beginning, 
and since the time that I com- 
manded judges to be over my 
people Israel. Moreover, I will 
subdue all their enemies. Further- 
more, I tell thee that the Lord will 
build thee an house. 



140 KENNETH FORBES. 



Kenneth. We have had a long piece alike. 
But Constance read the last verse as a pro- 
mise: in Samuel it is, "I have caused thee 
to rest from thine enemies." 

" That little difference does not matter 
much. In either case this verse is but the 
continuation of the promise in the verse 
before. We saw, when we began our read- 
ing, that David was already enjoying rest; 
and now it is promised that he should live 
to see a time of greater peace and longer 
quietness. It was true that he had con- 
quered past foes ; it was true also that his 
future enemies should in like manner be 
subdued. What further promises are added ? 

Ver. 12. And when thy days be Yer. 11. And it shall come to 

fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with pass when thy days be expired, 

thy fathers, I will set up thy seed that thou must go to be with thy 

after thee, which shall proceed out fathers, that I will raise up thy 

of thy bowels, and I will establish seed after thee, which shall be of 

his kingdom. thy sons, and I will establish his 
kingdom. 

Ver. 13. He shall build an house Ver. 12. He shall build me an 

for my name, and I will stablish house, and I will stablish his throne 

the throne of his kingdom forever, forever. 

" Read the next three verses together, 
Kenneth." 

Ver. 14-16. I will be his father, Ver. 13, 14. I will be his father, 

and he s shall be my son. If he and he shall be my son ; and I will 

commit iniquity, I will chasten him not take my *mercy from him, as I 

with the rod of men, and with the took it from him that was before 



PARALLEL VERSES. 141 



stripes of the children of men : but thee : But I will settle him in mine 
my mercy shall not depart from house and in my kingdom forever; 
him, as I took it from Saul, whom and his throne shall he established 
I put away before thee. And thine for evermore, 
house and thy kingdom shall be 
established forever before thee : thy 
throne shall be established forever. 

"What is the chief difference in these 
verses, Constance?" 

Constance. There is nothing here like 
what Kenneth read about Solomon's being 
punished if he sinned against God. 

" The account in Samuel, then, is fuller 
and more complete : the parallel line in 
Chronicles has a little gap or break in it. 
How does the story proceed ?' 

Yer. 17. According to all these Ver. 15. According to all these 

words, and according to all this words, and according to all this 

vision, so did Nathan speak unto vision, so did Nathan speak unto 

David. David. 

" The prophet brought his message quite 
correctly. He was not ashamed to own that 
he had been mistaken ; but he hastened to 
tell the exact truth as soon as he knew it 
himself. This finishes the first half of the 
chapter. Before going on to see how David 
received the message, I must just be sure 
that you quite understand all that was pro- 
mised in these words. One of you said 



142 KENNETH EORBES. 



just now that Solomon was meant. How do 
you know that?" 

Constance. Because it is said that he 
should build the temple. 

"Very well. But is Solomon the only 
one of David's family here referred to?" 

Kenneth. No: he was to have a whole 
line of kings in his family. 

"For how long?" 

Win. Forever. 

"And in what way has David's throne 
oeen established forever?" 

Constance. In Jesus Christ, who was 
David's son and David's Lord. 

"You see, then, that, 6 a greater than 
Solomon is here.' The message sent by 
Nathan contained three great promises. 
First, that David should have a son, who 
was to build a temple for God. Secondly, 
that from this son should proceed a line of 
kings, who, even though they might have 
to be punished for their sins, should still 
keep the throne. Thirdly, that One should 
come, in whom David's throne should be 
established for an everlasting dominion, and 
of whom it could be said in a higher sense 
than of any one else, <I will be his father, 



PARALLEL VERSES. 143 



and he shall be my son.' Do you remember 
where Paul refers to these words as having 
been spoken of Christ?" 

Kenneth. In the first chapter of Hebrews. 

" Yes. Now w r e will see whether David 
himself understood the message that had 
been sent him. Kenneth, it is your turn to 
read:" — 

Ver. 18. Then went king David Yer. 16. And David the king came 

in and sat before the Lord, and he and sat before the Lord, and said, 

said, Who am I, Lord God ? and "Who am T, Lord God, and what 

what is my house, that thou hast is mine house, that thou hast 

brought me hitherto ? brought me hitherto ? 

Yer. 19. And this was yet a small Yer. 17. And yet this was a small 
thing in thy sight, Lord God; but thing in thine eyes, God; for 
thou hast spoken also of thy ser- thou hast also spoken of thy ser- 
vant's house for a great while to vant's house for a great while to 
come. And is this the manner of come, and hast regarded me ac- 
man, Lord God ? cording to the estate of a man of 
high degree, Lord God. 

"How different!" cried Kenneth and 
Ella, with surprise. 

" Yes, my children, seemingly very dif- 
ferent; but yet not really so. On first 
reading the words as they stand in Samuel, 
' Is this the manner of man V we are apt to 
think they refer to God's condescension and 
goodness, as contrasted with man's pride 
and selfishness. The contrast is a very true 
one; for God himself tells us, 'As the 



144 KENNETH EORBES. 



heavens are higher than the earth, so are 
my ways higher than your ways, and my 
thoughts than your thoughts.' And this 
idea is not only true, but seems very suitable 
for David to have thought of at a time when 
he was quite laden with the promises so 
graciously heaped on him. True and beau- 
tiful as it is, however, this thought does not, 
and cannot, fit in with the parallel passage 
in Chronicles. But just put in an article, 
and the sense is quite different. 'Is this 
the manner of the man ? Is this the way in 
which the promised Deliverer is to come V 
You remember how, when Eve called her 
first-born Cain, saying, 'I have gotten the 
man,' it is thought she considered that 
infant son to be the promised Seed of the 
woman already come. She was mistaken. 
But the promised One was still looked for; 
and when David had now been told how 
his throne should be established forever, he 
was made to understand that the Messiah 
should come of his family. So in the joy 
of his astonished heart he exclaimed, ' Is 
this the manner of the man ? Is he indeed 
to come of my family and sit on my throne V 
In Chronicles, David is represented as say- 



PARALLEL VERSES. 145 



ing, ' Thou hast regarded me according to 
the estate of the man of high degree.' It is 
as if he said, < Thou hast raised me up to 
the estate or dignity of king, that I m^y be 
an ancestor of the man of high degree, — the 
man from above, — the second Adam, the 
Lord from heaven.' " 

Kenneth Oh, the verses do seem alike 
indeed, now. 

Constance. But, mother, can we be sure 
from this that David really knew Nathan's 
message was about Christ ? 

" If you want another proof, you may find 
it in the second chapter of Acts, where we 
read of David's ' knowing that God had 
sworn with an oath to him that he would 
raise up Christ to sit on his throne.' ISTo 
wonder he was lost in amazement, and 
added, 'What can David speak more to 
thee for the honour of thy servant ?' — that 
is, for the honour to which thou hast raised 
thy servant. His heart was almost too full 
to speak. Yet he did go on speaking. He 
poured forth the beautiful prayer that. fills 
up the remainder of the chapter. Our time 
will not let us go through it. Nov need we, 

K 13 



146 KENNETH FORBES. 



as there is no further difference that is at all 
important. You can finish comparing it by 
yourselves, and you will see that the sum 
and substance of the whole prayer may be 
found in the closing words of the twenty- 
fifth verse : — ' Do as thou hast said.' David 
just asks that it may be as God has said it 
shall be." 

Kenneth. That will do for an example to 
add to our list of good men whose prayers 
were about God's promises. 

"A very good example indeed. David 
received the promise with joy, and rested 
on it with faith ; but his praying about it 
shows how earnestly he desired its fulfil- 
ment. The largest promise of mere earthly 
glory would not have given him the same 
pleasure. But in this he rejoiced more than 
in thousands of gold and silver. My chil- 
dren, ought not your faith and your joy to 
be stronger than David's? He was told 
only of a coming Saviour ; but you are told 
of a Saviour that has come, that has suffered, 
that has died, that has risen, that has as- 
cended into heaven. You are not told of 
Christ as coming only into your family: he is 



PAEALLEL VERSES. 147 



waiting to enter your hearts. And if you 
let him in he will give even to you an ever- 
lasting kingdom and a crown that fadeth 
not away. Hasten to his throne of grace, 
thank him for his promises, and ask him to 
€ do' for you even as he has * said.' " 



148 KENNETH FORBES. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CONTRASTED VERSES ; OR, THE NUMBER OF THE 
STARS. 

Ten o'clock on Tuesday morning found 
the table once more surrounded by cheerful, 
yet thoughtful, faces. Mrs. Forbes's quick 
eye detected even more thoughtfulness than 
usual, and she hastened to inquire the cause 
of it. Kenneth took on him the office of 
chief speaker. "We have been writing out 
some parallel verses opposite to each other in 
columns, like the paper you wrote for Ella 
yesterday. We thought it would be easiest 
to take one of the stories in the New Testa- 
ment. So Ella took the history of blind 
Bartimeus. But the two accounts are quite 
contrary." 

"Let Ella tell me about it herself." 

Mia. There were two things different. 

In Matthew it says there were two men, 

but Mark and Luke say there was only one. 

And then Matthew and Mark say it was 



CONTRASTED VERSES. 149 



when Christ went out of Jericho ; but Luke 
says when he came nigh to Jericho. 

"Perhaps the last difficulty may be re- 
moved by remembering that there were two 
towns of this name, — the old and the new 
town. So if you consider the miracle to 
have taken place after Jesus had passed 
through the one, and before he reached the 
other, does not that make it all straight?" 

Ella. Yes, to be sure it does. But then 
the two men, mother ? 

" There you have made a little mistake. 
You tell me Mark and Luke say there was 
only one man. Is that quite correct?" 

Mia. Oh, yes, mother : they both say one 
man. 

" Stop, my child : think again, and tell 
me whether they say only one man." 

Ella. No, mother, they don't say " only ;" 
but doesn't it mean so ? 

"I think not. Do you remember the 
long story you told me on Thursday when 
you came back from the village ?" 

Ella. Yes, — about the little beggar-girl 
without shoes, whose father and mother 
were dead. 

"And when you told me about her, did 

13* 



150 KENNETH FORBES. 



you mean to say that you had met only 
one?" 

Ella. No f her sister was with her, only I 
didn't notice her so much. 

" Then you spoke of one only, and yet 
you knew all the while there were two ?" 

Ella. Yes, mother. 

"Well, I think this quite takes away 
your difficulty. Mark and Luke mention 
one man alone ; but that was because, for 
some reason or other, either from his being 
more earnest, or from his being better 
known, he attracted more attention. Whe- 
ther he had a companion or not, they do 
not say; but from Matthew's narrative we 
find that he had with him one blind like 
himself, and that Jesus gave sight to both." 

Constance. Mother, I need not ask you 
now about mine. I was comparing the ac- 
counts of Christ's resurrection. Matthew 
says two women went to the tomb; Mark 
says three; Luke refers to several; and 
John mentions only Mary Magdalene. But 
I see from what you have said that Matthew's 
account is fuller than John's; and Mark's 
fuller still ; and Luke's the fullest of all. 



CONTRASTED VERSES. 151 



"Just so. And now, Kenneth, tell us 
what you compared." 

Kenneth. I wrote out the three histories 
of Paul's conversion, in Acts ix. and xxii. 
and xxvi. ; and I soon found that they all 
help to fill each other up. The 26th gives 
a fuller account of what Jesus said to him ; 
and the 22d tells us more of what Ananias 
said. But what puzzled me was, that in 
one account it says the men heard, but did 
not see ; in the other it says that they saw 
and did not hear. 

" That certainly looks like a contradic- 
tion, as you have put it. But let us see 
whether j r ou have told it us quite right. 
"What are the words in the ninth chapter?" 

Kenneth. "Hearing a voice, but seeing no 
man." 

"That is very plain. Now tell us what 
the twenty-second chapter says." 

Kenneth. " They saw indeed the light 
and were afraid; but they heard not the 
voice of him that spake to me." 

".Now tell me what they did see." 

Kenneth. The light. 

" And what did they not see ?" 

Kenneth. They saw no man. Oh, I have 



152 KENNETH FORBES. 



it now : they saw the light, but they did not 
see any thing more. How stupid I was not 
to find that out myself! But still I do not 
understand about their hearing. 

" They heard a voice ; but they heard not 
the voice of him that spake. In our English 
Bibles, the first has an indefinite article. 
They heard a vague, undefined sound, as of 
a voice somewhere speaking about some- 
thing. But they did not hear the voice of 
him that spake; they heard no definite 
words ; they knew not who spoke, nor 
what he said. It was pretty much as if you 
w-ere at one end of our library while your 
father and I were talking in a low tone at 
the other end. You w T ould hear, and yet 
you would not hear. You would catch the 
distant murmur of our voices, but you 
would not be able to overhear the words 
spoken." 

Kenneth. Thank you, mother. I see now 
that we needed both chapters to make it 
quite clear: else we might have fancied 
either that they heard nothing, or that they 
had heard all. 

"Exactly so. And it is no mere idle 
curiosity that is gratified by getting at the 



CONTRASTED VERSES. 153 



correct idea. It serves to show us the truth 
of the whole story. It was not needful that 
these men should see who spoke, nor that 
they should hear what was spoken. But it 
was necessary they should see the sudden 
brightness and hear the sound of a voice ; 
because thus they could bear witness to the 
fact of the miracle. It does not rest on 
Paul's testimony only. We are sure that he 
neither dreamed this, nor invented it; for 
there were others with him who could tell 
of the terrors which they too had felt on 
that journey to Damascus." 

Constance. Mother, we were wondering 
what you would take for our lesson to-day ; 
and Kenneth said, as you had parallel verses 
yesterday, perhaps you would give us con- 
trasted verses this time. 

" Kenneth is a very good guesser. I 
have chosen them out of Ps. cxlvii. Begin 
by reading the fourth verse, and we will 
contrast one with it afterwards.' ' 

Ella. " He telleth the number of the 
stars; he calleth them all by their names/' 

" Here is a beautiful verse about the stars. 
Grand and glorious objects we think them, 
as they stud our evening sky. But in the 



154 KENNETH FORBES. 






East their beauty is yet more remarkable. 
The greater purity of the atmosphere and 
the deeper blue of the heaven make them 
shine with brighter lustre. It is not sur- 
prising, therefore, that we find them often 
mentioned in Scripture. One of Job's 
friends exclaimed, ' Behold the height of 
the stars, how high they are !' And another 
said, ' Yea, the stars are not pure in God's 
sight.' David loved to look upon them as 
he fed his father's sheep on the plains of 
Bethlehem ; and when he gazed at them he 
cried, ' "What is man, that thou art mindful 
of him ?' Daniel looked on their unchanged 
splendour when he was a captive in a 
foreign land, and he could feel the beauty 
of the promise confided to his keeping: — 
< They that turn many to righteousness 
shall shine as the stars for ever and ever.' 
It is not, however, to the glory, nor the 
purity, nor the size, nor the height of the 
stars, that the text before us refers ; but" . . . 

Constance. To their number. 

"And have I any little star-gazer here 
that can tell me their number?" 

Ella. Oh, mother, I never thought of 
counting them. 



CONTRASTED VERSES. 155 



Kenneth. You couldn't do it, Ella. 

" Tell us why not, my boy." 

Kenneth. It would take her an immense 
while, even if she could ever count those 
she sees. Then there are some that are 
never seen at all in this country, because 
we are too far north. And, besides, there 
are ever so many that cannot be seen with- 
out a telescope. 

"Do you remember any text in the Bible 
"that speaks of the difficulty of counting 
them?" 

Constance. I think Abraham was told to 
count them. Yes : in the fifteenth of Ge- 
nesis it says, "Look now toward heaven, 
and tell the stars, if thou be able to number 
them." 

" 'If thou be able.' There is the admis- 
sion that the task of telling (or numbering) 
the stars exceeded Abraham's power. Since 
his days many an astronomer has tried to 
count them; but each one has at length 
uttered the word ' Innumerable !' With the 
eye alone nearly three thousand five hun- 
dred have been distinguished ; and with the 
help of the telescope the number swells to 
at least eighty millions." 



156 KENNETH FORBES 



Kenneth. Eighty millions ! Have so many 
been seen and counted ? 

"Not counted one by one; but very ac- 
curate calculations have been made, by 
which, the result comes as near the truth as 
can be. Sir William Herschel, for example, 
tried to count the stars on the portion of 
sky that his glass enabled him to see at one 
view. Once he counted for fifteen minutes ; 
another time he counted for forty-one mi- 
nutes ; and so he counted again and again. 
Then he compared all the numbers he had 
reckoned, and multiplied them to make up 
for the time when he had not been count- 
ing. In this way he went on, over and over 
again, night after night, till he could pretty 
nearly tell how many stars make up that 
bright cloudy appearance which we call the 
Galaxy, or Milky "Way." 

Ella. Oh, I have seen the Milky Way. 
But is it made up of little stars ? 

" Of stars, certainly; but we must not call 
them little ones : they only seem so small 
because they are so far off." 

Constance. Was it a very large number ? 

" As nearly as Sir William Herschel could 
tell, he judged there must be very little 



CONTRASTED VERSES. 157 



under twenty millions of stars in the Milky 
Way alone. And who can say what count- 
less myriads there are beyond the reach of 
the best magnifier yet known ? It is very 
clear that ni&n is utterly unable to reckon 
the entire number of the stars ; and we may 
safely conclude that angels too would fail in 
the attempt. The poet has expressed this 
in the lines — 

6 To count 
The thick-sown glories in these fields of fire 
Perhaps a seraph's computation fails.' 

But there is One to whom this is an easy 
matter. God 'telleth the number of the 
stars.' He can count them all, for he made 
each of thern, and ' known unto him are all 
his works.' But the text in our Psalm tells 
us something more. What does God do 
beside?" 

Ella. " He calleth them all by their names. ' ' 
Oh, mother, I want to learn to know the 
stars. Kenneth knows so many by name 
when he sees them; but when I look it 
seems to me as if I could never know one 
from another, even of the bigger ones. 

"You shall begin to learn them soon. 
The way jin which astronomers have come 

14 



158 KENNETH FORBES. 



to know them apart is by noticing different 
clusters of them. What are these clusters 
called ?' 

Kenneth. Constellations, from the Latin 
con, together, and stella, a st&r, — the stars 
that are near together. 

"Do you know of any constellation that 
is mentioned by name in the Bible ?" 

Constance. Yes : in Job. Here it is,— ix. 9 : 
"Orion.'' That is the constellation some- 
thing like the shape of a man with a sword 
at his side. 

Kenneth. Orion is one of the easiest to 
find. 

" You see how long ago they w^ere known : 
even as early as Job's days people had 
learned to recognise them apart. This was 
very natural. The shepherds of Chaldea, 
while tending their flocks, had abundant 
time to lie and watch these twinkling lights 
of heaven ; and just as you know what it is 
to dream over the fire till you fancy you see 
figures in it, or as you amuse yourselves in 
an idle hour with the beautiful patterns 
that the frost had traced on your window 
till each pane of glass becomes to you like 
a very story-book with pictures, so these 



CONTRASTED VERSES. 159 



Eastern shepherds looked up into the sky, 
hour after hour, till they fancied they saw 
strange figures drawn out by the position 
of the stars. And they talked together 
about these figures and gave them names. 
Is the same constellation mentioned again 
in the Book of Job ?" 

Constance. Yes : in chapter xxxviii. 31, 
32 : — " Canst thou bind the sweet influences 
of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?" 

" There is another constellation very 
clearly referred to in this same Book of 
Job. Have you got so far in your astro- 
nomy as to know Draco when you see it in 
the heavens?" 

Kenneth. Draco, or the Dragon ? Yes : 
long ago. But I am sure I never read of 
that in the Bible. 

Constance. Nor I. 

" Turn to chapter xxvi. 13." 

Ella. "By his Spirit he hath garnished 
the heavens; his hand hath formed the 
crooked serpent." 

Constance. I never thought that meant 
the constellation. 

Kenneth. But how plainly we see that 
now by the parallelism ! 



160 KENNETH FORBES. 



"Yes: the last clause gives an example 
of the way in which God has garnished or 
adorned the heavens. Thus, you see, even 
the Bible reminds us that men have given 
names to the constellations. Have any of 
the separate stars had names given to 
them?" 

Kenneth. Oh, yes. Aldebaran, Arcturus, 
Sirius, Eigel, Lyra .... 

"Very good: we shall be content with- 
out any more. Constance, you were going 
to speak." 

Constance. Arcturus is spoken of in the 
same verses in which we were reading of 
Orion &nd the Pleiades. 

" The Pleiades, or Seven Stars, with their 
' sweet influences,' are distinctly spoken of. 
The reference to Arcturus is more doubtful. 
It is generally thought that our translators 
have not used the right word, and that they 
ought to have put Ursa Major, or the Great 
Bear. The Hebrew word literally means a 
bier, or funeral-car; and thus it resembles 
the common name given to the Great Bear. 
Can you tell me what that is ?" 

Kenneth. Charles's Wain, — because it was 
thought to be like a wagon drawn by horses. 



CONTRASTED VERSES. 161 



"And if you look again at the thirty- 
eighth chapter of Job, you will find mention 
made of ' Arcturus and his sons. 7 The stars 
that our country-folks look upon as the 
horses to draw the wagon were regarded 
in old time as the sons of mourners follow- 
ing the bier." 

Constance. That is very curious. 

" Yes ; but we must hasten on. Have 
astronomers named all the stars that they 
can see?" 

Kenneth. Eo ; not nearly half, nor a quar- 
ter of them. 

" Of course they cannot give separate 
names to all, because we have seen that 
they cannot even count them one by one. 
But we are told of God, 'He calleth them 
all by their names.' He does not overlook 
one. He knows them all apart, and cares 
for each one singly. How very true the 
next verse ! Which of you will read it ?" 

Ella. " Great is our Lord, and of great 
power; his understanding is infinite." 

"What ' power' he must have had in 
order to create and preserve such countless 
worlds ! . What ' understanding' he must 
have in order to keep a constant watch over 



162 KENNETH EORBES. 



each and all of them ! Now, tell me, does 
this almighty and all-wise God, who counts 
the stars and calls them by their names, 
ever condescend to notice what is done on 
this earth?" 

Ella. Yes, mother. The Bible says he 
counts the sparrows.* 

" Ah ! He counts the sparrows as well as 
the stars. He counts the very hairs of our 
head. He who knows the stars by name 
knows his people by name too : — ' He calleth 
his own sheep by name.'f Though our earth 
is but a tiny speck in his vast dominions, 
yet he looks at it, and looks even at its 
littlest things. Now for our contrast. Read 
the third verse of this psalm with the 
fourth." 

Kenneth. "He healeth the broken in 
heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He 
telleth the number of the stars ; he calleth 
them all by their names." 

" The same God who has these numerous 
worlds under his care, yet stoops to earth, — 
stoops to the broken in heart, — stoops to 

* Matt. x. 29, 30. f John x. 3. 



fl^» 



CONTRASTED VERSES. 163 



bind up their wounds himself. He is as 
great in his condescension and tenderness 
as he is in his wisdom and majesty. If you 
take either of these verses alone, you have 
a beautiful thought. "We see how kind God 
is when we read of his binding up the 
wounds of the broken-hearted. We see how 
mighty he is when we read of his calling the 
stars by their names. But when we con- 
trast the verses, they add to each other's 
beauty: we then see kindness added to 
power, and power added to kindness. When 
the third verse sheds its light on the one 
that follows, we see kindness added to power, 
and the power no longer fills us with fear : 
we feel that if this God is our God, he is 
not too exalted to notice us, however mean 
and insignificant and helpless we may be. 
And then when the fourth verse casts its 
brightness back on the verse before it, we 
see power added to kindness. The God who 
is willing to bind up the broken-hearted is 
also able to do it, for he is the God whose 
wondrous might is seen 'in every rolling 
star.' How delightful it is thus to think 
of God's power and his condescension to- 



164 KENNETH FORBES. 



gether ! Some men are too high to notice 
us ; some are too weak to help us. But it is 
not so with God. Though he is so mighty, 
yet he stoops tenderly to our low estate ; 
though he is so tender, yet he is mighty to 
protect us." 



SUCCESSIVE VERSES. 165 



CHAPTER IX. 

SUCCESSIVE VERSES; OR, MARK THE CONNEC- 
TION. 

Examples of contrasted verses had not 
been difficult to find. Ella's was taken 
from Proverbs iv. 18, 19: — "The path of 
the just is as the shining light, that shineth 
more and more unto the perfect day. The 
way of the wicked is as darkness : they 
know not at what they stumble." Con- 
stance had chosen Isaiah iii. 10, 11 : — " Say 
ye to the righteous that it shall be well 
with him : for they shall eat the fruit of 
their doings. Woe unto the wicked ! it 
shall be ill with him : for the reward of his 
hands shall be given him." Kenneth read 
the beautiful verses in Jeremiah xvii. 5-8 : — 
" Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, 
and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart 
departeth from the Lord. For he shall be 
like the heath in the desert, and shall not 
see when good cometh; but shall inhabit 



166 KENNETH FORBES. 



the parched places in the wilderness, in a 
salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the 
man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose 
hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree 
planted by the waters, and that spreadeth 
out her roots by the river, and shall not see 
when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be 
green ; and shall not be careful in the year 
of drought, neither shall cease from yielding 
fruit." 

It was a surprise to the children when 
Mrs. Forbes asked to look once again at 
the letter Ella had that morning received 
from their father. He had started on Satur- 
day for town, where he was to stay a few 
days. On his arrival he had sent off* a few 
lines to his boy; on Monday he wrote to 
Constance ; and now a third letter had ar- 
rived for Ella, announcing his speedy return 
with an uncle who lived a few miles from 
their house. It had reached them at break- 
fast-time ; it had been read and talked over : 
so they could not help wondering why their 
mother wished to see it again at such a 
time. But their surprise did not last long. 
She had a reason, and a good one. It 
happened that the little girl, in her eager 



SUCCESSIVE VERSES. 167 



impatience to open "the first letter that 
ever came by post for her all alone," had 
broken the adhesive envelope very hastily ; 
and the note, having stuck to it, was torn 
also. Mrs. Forbes opened it, and said, 
"Ella, let ns read this part again." The 
words stood thus : — 

Tell mother 
to have supper ready for the travellers 
on Thursd ing. It will likely 

De late before comes home ; so 

that he will not xpect to see his dear 
children till next morning, and she had 
better not let them sit up. 

" Look at it carefuliy. How do you know 
that it is father who is coming home to- 
morrow?" 

Ella. The letter says, "It will be late 
before father comes home." 

" Hay : you are putting in a word that I 
cannot see." 

Ella. The word " father" is torn out; but 
you know it means that. 

"How can I be sure that it was not 
written 'before uncle comes' ? " 

Ella. Oh, I wish I had not torn the letter ! 
What shall I do ? 

Kenneth. Nonsense, Ella ! Don't you see 



168 KENNETH FORBES. 



it's quite plain ? for it goes on to say, " So 
he will not expect to see his dear children/' 
— but Uncle George has no children : so it 
must be father. 

Mrs. Forbes consented to this; "but," 
she said, "here is another word partly 
torn : is it to-morrow morning or to-morrow 
evening that he hopes to arrive ?" 

Ella. Oh, the evening ; for he asks you to 
have supper ready. 

Constance. And he says we are not to sit 
up : so he must mean evening. 

"Very well. Another time, Ella, you 
had better open your letter more carefully. 
Suppose father had wished Thomas to take 
the wagon down to meet him at the station, 
and you had torn out the very piece on 
which the hour was written down : we 
should have had no means of knowing 
what train was meant. But happily in this 
case all is clear." 

Kenneth. Mother, I saw by your face the 
whole time that you knew all about it quite 
well. 

" Then you must have been suspecting 
that I wished to make some use of this to 
help us in our Bible-lesson. I will tell you 



SUCCESSIVE VERSES. 169 



what I was thinking of. Just as we found 
out the missing words of the letter by what 
w r ent before and what went after, so we may 
often discover the true meaning of a pass- 
age by carefully looking to see what pre- 
cedes and what follows it." 

Kenneth. I have heard of that before. Is 
it not called "looking at the context" ? 

" Yes : sometimes what goes before and 
after is called 'the context/ — from con and 
text, — that which goes with the text. Some- 
times it is called 'the connection,' — that 
which is connected or linked together in 
sense. Let us take our example from 
Lamentations i. 12." 

Kenneth. "Is it nothing to you, all ye 
that pass by ? Behold, and see if there be 
any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is 
done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath 
afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger." 

" This is a very sorrowful verse, just such 
as you would expect to find in a book that 
goes by so sad a name, — the Lamentations. 
Now, on merely reading the verse by itself, 
as you have done, apart from the connec- 
tion, we find that some one is speaking 
whose misery is most intense, but who is 

15 



170 KENNETH FORBES. 



wholly disregarded by all that pass by. We 
need therefore to ask the question which 
the Ethiopian eunuch put to Philip.' ' .... 

Constance. " Of whom speaketh the pro- 
phet this ? Of himself, or of some other 
man?" 

" This is exactly what we want to know. 
We ask, Who is the speaker here ? Who is 
it that endured such woe ? Who is it that 
complains of being unnoticed and uncared 
for in the midst of woe ? Can any of you 
tell me?" 

Constance. I think I have heard these 
words used of Jesus Christ. 

" Very likely you have. They are often 
so used. And they might truly enough 
describe the acuteness of his anguish, the 
singularity of his sorrow. No one else has 
ever suffered as he did. Other men bear 
their own burden ; but he had to bear the 
burdens and carry the sorrows of a sinful 
world. You remember the verse we often 
sing,— 

' See from his head, his hands, his feet, 
Sorrow and love flow mingled down : 
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, 
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?' 



SUCCESSIVE VERSES. 171 



But tell me now how his sufferings were 
regarded by those that passed by." 

Ella. They mocked him. 

"Ah! they thought he was no better 
than an ordinary criminal. They saw his 
wounds, they heard his cries, but they hid 
as it were their faces from him. They 
looked, indeed ; but it was not with a look 
of concern, a look of pity, a look of wishful- 
ness to help. They i stared' on him with 
brutal curiosity ;* they ' laughed' at him in 
bitterest derision ;f they ' watched' him, 
but it was only to prevent his rescue or 
escape. "J 

Constance. As we were walking home a 
Sunday or two ago, Miss Miller said that 
perhaps some of those who stood beside 
Christ and mocked him were those whose 
sight had been restored by him, and whose 
lips he had opened. Do you think that was 
possible ? 

"No doubt it may have been so. It is 
not in the power of miracles to change the 
heart even of those on whom they are 
wrought. We read of nine lepers who did 

* Ps. xxii. 17. f Ps. xxii. 7. % Matt, xxvii. 36. 



172 KENNETH FORBES. 



not so much as return to give thanks when 
Christ had healed them. And there may 
have been the like ingratitude in the case 
of many who had been blind and dumb. 
You see, then, that the verse I asked you 
to read might very well refer to the ' Man 
of sorrows.' In studying the Bible, how- 
ever, we have not to ask what any passage 
might mean, but rather what it actually does 
mean. We want to know what God really 
intended by it, when he caused it to be 
written down in his book. This is to be 
found out by the connection. Let us look 
first at the preceding context, and see what 
had been said before. Read the first verse 
of the chapter/' 

Constance. " How doth the city sit soli- 
tary that was full of people ! how is she be- 
come as a widow ! she that was great 
among the nations, and princess among the 
provinces, how is she become tributary!" 

" The beginning of the seventh verse will 
show you the name of this city." 

Ella. " Jerusalem remembered in the days 
of her affliction and of her miseries all her 
pleasant things that she had in the days of 



SUCCESSIVE VERSES. 173 



old, when her people fell into the hand of 
the enemy, and none did help her." 

"In the ninth verse we are told that this 
was a punishment for her sin : she had not 
' remembered her last end, therefore she 
came down wonderfully.' Then she is re- 
presented as speaking, — <0 Lord, behold 
my affliction !' The next two verses again 
describe her sorrow, and once more she 
cries, ' See, Lord, and consider ; for I am 
become vile.' This brings us to the text we 
are wanting to understand. Can you tell 
me now who is speaking in this twelfth 
verse ?" 

Kenneth. Yes : it is Jerusalem. 

"Very right. We may prove it further 
by the subsequent context. Let us see 
what follows. In how many more verses is 
Jerusalem described as bewailing her own 
miserable state?" 

Constance. Nine times ; that is, in every 
verse to the end of the chapter except one. 

"Nothing can be clearer than that the 
same speaker goes on throughout. Notice, 
too, the fifteenth verse : — < My young men ;' 
'all my mighty men.' These expressions 
plainly form part of the complaint of a city 

15* 



174 KENNETH FOKBES. 



or nation whose men of war have been cut 
off. We have therefore no doubt that our 
text refers to Jerusalem's sorrow. Let us 
see what Jerusalem says about it, and let 
us prove that what she says is true. The 
best way will be to divide the verse into 
three parts. It contains, first, a question; 
then, an appeal; and then, a confession." 

Kenneth. The question was, "Is it no- 
thing to you, all ye that pass by ?" 

"We find from these words that Jeru- 
salem's affliction was unregarded. Those who 
knew of it were not moved with compas- 
sion. They saw it as they c passed;' but 
yet they ' passed by' and took no heed of 
it. Have you read in the New Testament 
of any who thus looked on a sufferer and 
yet went on their way unconcerned ?" 

Mia. The priest and the Levite, who 
found the man that fell among thieves on 
the road to Jericho.* 

"What wicked feeling could have led 
them to be so cruel?" 

Constance. Selfishness. 

" Yes ; since the days of Cain, who cried, 

* Luke x. 31, 32. 



SUCCESSIVE VERSES. 175 



4 Am I my brother's keeper?' there have 
always been cold and selfish hearts, that 
have refused to pity their neighbour's dis- 
tress and to relieve their neighbour's wants. 
Can you find me any verse to prove that 
Jerusalem really had cause to complain of 
being unpitied ? Look at Psalm cxxxvii. 3." 

Constance. "For there they that carried 
us away captive required of us a song ; and 
they that wasted us required of us mirth, 
saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion." 

" Another passage tells us that God was 
angry with the heathen for this conduct. 
You will find it in Zech. i. 15." 

Ella. "And I am very sore displeased 
with the heathen that are at ease ; for I was 
but a little displeased, and they helped for- 
ward the affliction." 

" They did indeed help it forward. Misery 
was bad enough ; yet they added mockery 
to it. There were, however, some others 
who ought to have stretched out a helping 
hand. The men of Edom were of the same 
family as Israel : both claimed Isaac as their 
common ancestor ; and this ought to have 
given rise to a brotherly feeling and to acts 
of brotherlv kindness; But it was not so. 



176 KENNETH FORBES. 



See what God says to Edom in Obadiah's 
prophecy, verses 12 to 14." 

Kenneth. "But thou shouldst not have 
looked on the day of thy brother in the day 
that he became a stranger:" .... 

"That means, 'thou shouldst not have 
looked on carelessly and unpityingly/ " 

Kenneth. "Neither shouldst thou have 
rejoiced over the children of Judah in the 
day of their destruction : neither shouldst 
thou have spoken proudly in the day of 
distress. Thou shouldst not have entered 
into the gate of my people in the day of 
their calamity ; yea, thou shouldst not have 
looked on their affliction in the day of their 
calamity, nor have laid hands on their sub- 
stance in the day of their calamity. Neither 
shouldst thou have stood in the crossway, 
to cut off those of his that did escape; 
neither shouldst thou have delivered up 
those of his that did remain in the day of 
distress." 

"Poor Jerusalem ! her bitter cup was in- 
deed full to overflowing. No wonder, when 
all around her had joined to heap up the 
measure of her sorrows, she should have 
cried so dolefully, < Is it nothing to you, all 



SUCCESSIVE VERSES. 177 



ye that pass by?' Such sorrow had not 
always been her portion. She had known 
better times. Formerly her nobles had re- 
posed at night on beds of ivory and re- 
clined during the day on sumptuous couches. 
They had fared on the best of the flock and 
the fattest of the herd. Wine in abun- 
dance had been drunk at their feasts ; and 
on their persons had been poured forth the 
most fragrant ointments. Their joy had 
found its utterance in music and in songs ; 
while all fear of coming evil had been 
banished from their thoughts. But, in the 
height of their prosperity, the prophet Amos 
was sent to pronounce a ' woe to them that 
are at ease in Zion.' Look at the sixth 
chapter of this prophecy, and tell me what 
accusation he brings against them in the 
sixth verse. " 

Ella. " They are not grieved for the afflic- 
tion of Joseph." But, mother, had not Jo- 
seph died long before ? 

" This does not refer to Joseph himself, 
but to his descendants, — or rather to the 
ten tribes, of which Joseph's descendants 
formed a part. Sometimes these ten tribes 
were called • Ephraim,' from Joseph's 

M 



178 KENNETH FORBES. 



younger son. But what were they most 
commonly called?" 

Kenneth. Israel. And the other two tribes 
were called Judah. 

" It was Israel's affliction, then, for which 
the men of Jerusalem were not grieved. 
God's judgments had been descending on 
the ten tribes. Famine and drought, mil- 
dew and blight, locusts and pestilence, had 
wrought great desolations among them. But 
Judah laid it not to heart. Her neighbour's 
sorrows were as nothing to her ; and now 
her's are as nothing to all them that pass 
by. The unpitying has justly become the 
unpitied. But let us pass on from the 
question to the appeal." 

Constance. " Behold and see if there be 
any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is 
done unto me." 

" This tells us that Jerusalem' s affliction 
was unequalled, — at least in her own opinion. 
Do men generally think their own troubles 
greater than other people's?" 

Ella. Yes, mother, — like the man you 
once read to us about, who thought nobody 
was so badly off as he. 



SUCCESSIVE VERSES. 179 



"Well, let us hear whether you can go 
on." 

Ella. And then he dreamed that he was 
carrying a heavy cross on his shoulders, and 
that he was taken into a room filled with 
crosses of all sizes, and was told to choose 
any one he liked to have instead of his own. 
But when he had tried ever so many, and 
found one too long, and another set all over 
with spikes, and so on, at last he came to 
one which was better than any he had been 
trying; and, after all, it was only his old 
one that he had taken up again without 
knowing it. 

"We must find out, then, whether Jeru- 
salem's sorrow was really so unexampled, 
or whether she only fancied it greater than 
the sorrow of other cities and other nations. 
What was the great trouble which the pro- 
phet Jeremiah describes in this book of 
Lamentations?" 

Kenneth. The captivity into Babylon. 

" Captivity was not in itself an altogether 
unusual thing. Many a whole city and 
many a whole district have been bared of 
their inhabitants. Thus, the Amalekites, 
when they invaded David's retreat at Zik- 



180 KENNETH EORBES. 



lag, burned the city and carried away all 
whom they found in it.* The populous 
city of No, and the mighty Nineveh, f — 
MoabJ too, and Egypt, § and even Babylon || 
itself, — were subjected to this fate. But we 
must bear in mind that, grievous as was 
captivity to any people, it must have been 
doubly so to the Jews. Can you tell why ?" 

Constance. Because the Jews were taken 
away from their temple. 

"Not only so, but that temple itself had 
been burned and its sacred and precious 
vessels carried away. The pious Jew might 
still, in the land of his exile, offer prayer 
unto the God of heaven, as . . ." 

Kenneth. As Nehemiah did. 

" Or, like Daniel, he might open his 
window toward Jerusalem and pray toward 
the ruins of the holy temple. But no sacri- 
fices were being offered, no priest was 
ministering, no worshippers were assemb- 
ling, in the place where God's name had 
been recorded. All the set feasts of the 
Jewish religion were suspended. No pass- 

* 1 Sam. xxx. 1-3. f Nah. iii. 7-10. 

% Jer. xlviii. 7, 11, 12, 46. \ Jer. xliii. 11, xlvi. 19. 

II Isa. xlvii. 1, 2. 



SUCCESSIVE VERSES. 181 



over-lamb was slain, no pentecost observed, 
no tabernacles reared. Year after year the 
great day of atonement returned, but there 
was no mercy-seat sprinkled with blood, 
there was no scape-goat as the sign of re- 
conciliation. The jubilee year, too, — how 
often did that occur during the captivity?" 

Constance. Once. 

"I believe once only; but, when it did 
return, no silver trumpets sounded the joy- 
ous notes of liberty. Seeing, then, how 
captivity was thus embittered to the Jews 
by their being deprived of all their outward 
religious privileges, we find they had cause 
enough to cry, \ See if there be any sorrow 
like unto my sorrow/ Daniel said some- 
thing very like this, — chapter ix e , close of 
verse 12." 

Kenneth. "For under the whole heaven 
hath not been done as hath been done upon 
Jerusalem." 

"We shall find a reason for this sad 
state of things if we now take the third 
part of our text." 

Constance. The Confession : — " Where- 
with the Lord hath afflicted me in the day 
of his fierce anger." 

16 



182 KENNETH FORBES. 



"Here we see that Jerusalem's affliction 
was not undeserved. Matthew Henry has 
well said, 'Jeremiah's lamentation in the 
name of the church, Was ever sorrow like 
unto my sorrow ? must suppose another like 
question : — Was ever sin like unto my 
sin V And accordingly we find that in 
this verse Jerusalem not only traces her 
sorrows to Jehovah's hand, but confesses 
that they are the result of Jehovah's anger. 
How had that anger been aroused?" 

Ella. By the people's sins. 

"And was there any one sin for which 
God was especially angry with them ?" 

Kenneth. Yes : their following after idols. 

" That was it. They had been chosen to 
be God's peculiar people, in order to be 
witnesses to the great truth that the Lord 
Jehovah is one Lord. Their example ought 
to have been a constant rebuke to idolatry. 
But, instead of this, they followed the cus- 
toms of the heathen around, until at length 
they went so far that in Judah every city 
had its separate god and in Jerusalem 
ever} 7 street had its separate altar to Baal."* 

* Jer. xi. 13. 



SUCCESSIVE VERSES. 183 



Mia. Oh, mother, that was dreadful ! 

" It was indeed ; and we cannot be sur- 
prised that God's anger was kindled and 
that his judgments were poured out. It is 
true that God had pity on his repenting 
people and brought them back to their 
own land ; but it is no less true that the 
w T ay of transgressors is hard, Keep this 
lesson in mind. Let Jerusalem's bitter 
complaining remind you that sin and sor- 
row always go hand in hand. You cannot 
admit the one to your presence without 
sooner or later finding out that the other 
has entered too. Now,- shall I tell you what 
to search for by to-morrow morning ?" 

Kenneth. Please, mother. Something to 
make us look at the context. 

" Yes: I will give you three questions, — 
one apiece. Here they are written down 
on separate papers for you : — i Three times 
in the Bible we read the words, What is 
man? Find the three texts, and judge 
from the connection whether the meaning 
is exactly the same in each.' That will do 
for you, Ella. Now, Constance, here is 
your's : — ' Four times Jesus tells us that the 
disciple is not above his master, nor the 



184 KENNETH FORBES. 



servant greater than his lord. Search for 
the verses, and decide from the context 
how many of them have a different sense.' 
Then your's, Kenneth, will be this : — ' Twice 
Jesus tells us, that if the eye be evil, the 
whole body will be full of darkness : what 
difference does the context show between 
these passages?' " 



QUOTED VERSES. 185 



CHAPTER X. 

QUOTED VERSES; OR, PROPHECY FULFILLED. 

Ella had found the three verses which 
ask, " What is man ?" and her brother had 
helped her to compare them. "In Ps. viii. 
4," she said, "they are words of praise to 
thank God for stooping to be kind to man, 
and so they are In Ps. cxliv. 3 ; but in Job 
vii. 17, 18, they are words of complaint." 

"Very fair," was Mrs. Forbes's verdict: 
"indeed, quite as well as I could expect. 
These verses all agree in speaking of man's 
littleness. And the two in Psalms both 
join to praise God for his condescending 
love and care. In the eighth Psalm, David 
speaks of the littleness or insignificance of 
man's nature : — ' When I consider thy hea- 
vens, the work of thy fingers, the moon 
and the stars which thou hast ordained, 
what is man, that thou takest knowledge of 
him V In the other Psalm he speaks of the 
littleness or shortness of man's life : — ' Lord, 

16* 



186 KENNETH FORBES. 



what is man, that thou takest knowledge of 
him ? Man is like to vanity ; his days are 
as a shadow that passeth away.' Job also 
spoke of man's littleness ; but, instead of 
being thankful that God noticed him, he 
murmured, as if God noticed him too much : 
— '"What is man, that thou shouldst visit 
him every morning?' The word 'visitest' 
is used in these different verses in its two 
different senses. Did you observe that?" 

Ella. No, mother. 

Kenneth. I see it now. In the eighth 
Psalm it means visiting in mercy ; in Job 
it means visiting in judgment. 

" Yes : poor Job was looking on the dark 
side of things, and forgot that it was better, 
far better, for a man to be visited even with 
the strokes of God's rod than to have it 
said, 'Let him alone.' Have you found 
your four verses, Constance, about the dis- 
ciple and his master?" 

Constance. The first is in Matt. x. 24, 25, 
and that is about persecution. John xv. 20 
seems to be just the same repeated. But 
where it comes, in John xiii. 16, after Jesus 
had been washing the disciples' feet, it 
teaches us to be like him in humility. The 



QUOTED VERSES. 18 1 ! 



other is Luke vi. 40 ; but I could not quite 
make that out. 

""What is the subject referred to in the 
immediate context?" 

Constance. The verse before it is about 
the blind leading the blind, and the verse 
after it is about watching our own faults 
before we tell our neighbours about their's. 

" Then both those verses teach us that a 
consistent example should go along with all 
our efforts to do good. And these words, 
6 The disciple is not above his master,' suit- 
ably come in here to show that our example 
will be followed, — that those who learn 
from us will not be likely to do better than 
they see us do; so that for their sakes we 
should set before them a very high model 
in the holiness of our life." 

Constance. Thank you, mother. Then 
these four texts give us three meanings, do 
they not? 

"Yes: they teach a lesson of patient 
endurance; a lesson of humble charity; 
and a lesson of consistent piety. Ken- 
neth, what answer have you found to your 
questfon ?" 

Kenneth. Mine was about the eye being evil 



188 KENNETH FORBES. 



and the whole body full of darkness. The 
two verses are Matt. vi. 22 and Luke xi. 34. 
But I could only find out from the context 
that they were spoken to different kinds 
of people. In the one, Christ spoke to 
those who w^ere laying up earthly treasures 
and trying to serve two masters. In the 
other, he spoke to those who would not be- 
lieve without they saw a sign from heaven. 
"There you have the exact difference. 
From the one we learn that the eye of the 
soul may be blinded by covetousness and 
earthly-mindedness; while the other teaches 
that it may be blinded also by prejudice and 
unbelief. So that if we wish our eye to 
be single we must watch, not against one 
thing only, but against every thing that 
would darken our minds and becloud our 
spiritual sight. I am glad to see you have 
understood so well how the connection 
throws light on any verse; for you will 
find this of immense use in studying the 
Bible. We shall find it useful in our lesson 
to-day. I want to talk to you a little about 
those verses of the Old Testament that are 
quoted, referred to, or written over again, in 
the Gospels or Epistles.' ' 



QUOTED VERSES. 189 



Kenneth Do you mean when it speaks of 
some prophecy that was fulfilled ? 

"Yes: I should like you to begin by 
looking at the first chapter of Hebrews. 
Tell me how many quotations Paul there 
makes from the Old Testament." 

Constance, Seven. 

"One of those — the one in the seventh 
verse — refers, you see, to angels; but to 
whom does the apostle apply the other 
six?" 

Constance. To Christ, as the Son of God. 

"And are we to understand, then, that 
all these six passages, as they stand where 
Paul found them in the book of Samuel 
and in the Psalms, really were intended to 
apply to Christ?" 

Kenneth. Yes, mother : they were all pro- 
phecies of Christ, were they not ? 

"Undoubtedly they were; or else Paul 
would have had no right to use them as he 
did. He was proving the divine nature of 
Christ, and he proved it by these very texts. 
If they had not been texts that really re- 
ferred to Christ, they would not have been 
proofs at all, and Paul's argument would 
have been a bad one. But how do we 



190 KENNETH FORBES. 



know that tiie proofs which the apostle 
used must have been good ones ?" 

Constance. Because he wrote as he was 
" moved by the Holy Ghost." 

" Exactly so. The same Spirit who had 
taught the Psalmist what to write also 
taught Paul which of the Psalmist's words 
to choose as proofs. So that whenever we 
read any of the prophecies quoted in such 
a chapter as this, we are quite sure of their 
meaning, and we know very well that they 
refer to Jesus. But now I must show you 
that it may be a little different with the pre- 
dictions quoted in the Gospels. The Evan- 
gelists wrote by the help of the same Holy 
Spirit ; but they wrote for a different pur- 
pose. They were writing history, not argu- 
ment. And thus we find that they some- 
times bring forward passages of the Old 
Testament which do not seem to have 
been actually written in reference to the 
life of Christ, but which the life of Christ 
may have put them in mind of. So that 
when we find them referring to any passage 
in the Old Testament, we must look back 
to the part whence they take it, and ex- 
amine the connection in which it there 



QUOTED VERSES. 191 



stands, if we wish to know whether it was 
a positive prophecy of Christ or not. Let 
us try an example or two from Matthew's 
Gospel. What is the first quotation he 
makes ?" 

Kenneth. In chapter i. 22, 23:— "Now all 
this was clone that it might be fulfilled 
which was spoken of the Lord by the pro- 
phet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with 
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they 
shall call his name Emmanuel, which, being 
interpreted, is, God with us." That is 
taken from Isaiah vii. 14. 

"Well, turn to the verse in Isaiah, and 
tell me to whom that prophecy was given." 

Ella. To King Ahaz. 

" Or rather to the people of Judah in the 
hearing of their king. What was the occa- 
sion of its being given ?" 

Kenneth. It was given as a sign that God 
would deliver them. 

"Yes: Isaiah had been sent to comfort 
the king and people amid their fears and 
to give them a promise of deliverance from' 
their enemies. Ahaz was then invited to 
choose whatever sign he liked in proof of 



192 KENNETH FORBES. 



the promise being a true one. He might, 
like Gideon, have asked" . . . 

Constance. . . . for a fleece of wool to 
be wet with dew while all the ground was 
dry ; or dry, while all the ground was wet. 

" Or else, like Hezekiah, he might have 
asked" . . . 

Kenneth. . . . for the shadow to go back 
on the dial ten degrees. 

"Any thing he pleased he might have 
asked, when God so graciously gave him 
permission. But he refused to do it. He 
pretended to be too modest. The truth, 
however, was that in his inmost heart he 
did not care for a sign. He distrusted God's 
promise, and was more anxious to have 
man's help. At this very time he had 
sent, or was just going to send, to a king 
called Tiglath-pileser to come and help 
him.* He pretended that he would not 
tempt God by asking a sign, while all the 
time he was tempting God by putting his 
trust in an arm of flesh. But God's grace 
was not yet exhausted ; he had a message 
of love to his troubled people ; and he bade 

* 2 Kings xvi. 7. 



QUOTED VERSES. 193 



his prophet turn away from the unbelieving 
king, to tell the men of Judah that God 
himself would give them a sign ; and it 
was this wonderful sign, — that a virgin 
should have a son, and call his name Em- 
manuel. Inow, did Isaiah speak these 
words as a prophecy of Christ?" 

Kenneth. I always thought so, mother. 

"And I see no reason why you should 
not think so still. We do not read that 
these wondrous words ever had a fulfilment 
till Mary became the mother of the infant 
Saviour. He alone was born of a virgin, 
and he alone was called Emmanuel, or God 
with us. There is a little difficulty, how- 
ever, to be explained. Here was a predic- 
tion that the men of Judah. should be de- 
livered from their enemies. Here was also 
a sign to confirm that prediction. But, in 
order of time, which w r as to happen first ? — 
the fulfilment of the promise, or the arrival 
of the sign?" 

Ella. The sign must have been first. 

Kenneth. But it was not, though. For it 

says in the eighth verse that their enemies 

would be destroyed in "threescore and 

five" — that is, sixty-five — years; and it was 

x 17 



194 KENNETH FORBES. 



hundreds of years after Isaiah's time before 
Christ was born. How could Christ's birth 
be a sign of what was to happen before it ? 

"It seems strange on first looking at it. 
But it is not the only case of the kind." 

Kenneth. Oh, mother, where is there an- 
other like it ? 

" In Exodus iii. 12. Ella will read it." 

Ella. "And he said, Certainly I will be 
with thee; and this shall be a token unto 
thee that I have sent thee : when thou hast 
brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye 
shall serve God upon this mountain." 

" Moses had been commissioned to bring 
the Israelites out of the land of their bond- 
age ; but when he was first told of it he 
hesitated and doubted, saying, 'Who am 
I, that I should lead them forth V And then 
God gave him this token, — a token which 
he could not see at that time, — a token 
which he could not see till after he had exe- 
cuted the commission about which he was 
in doubt. But yet it was a sufficient token. 
Though he dreaded the commission, he no 
longer doubted it. He felt that if God 
could predict the greater he could also pre- 
dict the less; if he could foretell that the 



QUOTED VERSES. 195 



people would go towards Sinai and get 
safe to Sinai, he must also be true when he 
foretold their getting away from Egypt. 
May it not have been thus, also, with Isaiah's 
prophecy of Christ ? He had just announced 
to the people their deliverance from Syria ; 
and how could they doubt the truth of this, 
when he went on to speak of the greater 
deliverance they were all looking for, and 
when he told them more about the expected 
deliverer than had ever yet been known ? 
Many of their prophets had told of the Mes- 
siah, but none had predicted the wonderful 
manner of his birth, or the glorious name 
that should be given to him. If Isaiah 
• could give them all this new knowledge 
about the coming Saviour, the people would 
no longer doubt what he had been telling 
them about the speedy defeat of the Syrians. 
Matthew's first quotation, then, we may 
safely regard as originally spoken concern- 
ing Christ. Take another example, from 
Matthew ii. 17, 18." 

Constance. " Then was fulfilled that which 
was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 
In Rama was there a voice heard, lamenta- 
tion and weeping, and great mourning, 



j£&± 



196 KENNETH FORBES. 



Rachel weeping for her children, and would 
not be comforted, because they are not." 

" Whence is that taken ?" 

Ella. Prom Jeremiah xxxi. 15. 

"In how many verses does the prophet 
Jeremiah go on speaking of these afflicted 
mothers ?" 

Constance. In three verses, — from the 
fifteenth to the seventeenth; but Matthew 
only quotes the first of them. 

"And would the others have suited 
Matthew's purpose, as applicable to the 
children whom Herod ordered to be slain?" 

Kenneth. No : it could not be said of 
them, "They shall come again from the 
land of the enemy," and "Thy children, 
shall come again to their own border." 
That referred to the Jews being brought 
back from Babylon, did it not ? 

"Yes: that is the subject of the entire 
connection; and the voice in Rama that 
Jeremiah speaks of is evidently the lamenta- 
tion caused by the captivity. But when 
Matthew was recording the murder of the 
infants in the villages round Bethlehem, 
he referred to those few words of Jeremiah 
that suited his purpose. The prophet's 



QUOTED VERSES. 197 



description of maternal grief had again 
come true, and was again fulfilled or real- 
ized; so that it was impossible better to 
describe the mourning at Bethlehem than 
in the inspired words of Jeremiah. Here, 
you see, is an instance in which the words 
quoted do not seem in their original con- 
nection to have referred at all to Christ or 
to the circumstances of his life, but which 
are brought in only as beautifully and 
strikingly appropriate. You can look out 
some more quotations, and see whether in 
the Old Testament the verses clearly refer 
to Christ. Remember that if the quotation 
occurs in a piece of reasoning, like the 
chapter in Hebrews, then we are sure it is 
used in the exact sense in which it was first 
meant. But if it is made incidentally, just 
as a passing thought, without an evident 
design to prove any thing, then you may 
do well to find out whether it is an exact 
fulfilment, or only an illustration, by look- 
ing at the Old Testament to see in what 
connection it there stands and what mean- 
ing it there conveys." 

Constance. But have not some prophecies 
a double meaning ? 

17* 



198 KENNETH FOKBES. 



" That is a very difficult question ; and I 
should not like to give a decided answer 
either way. It is a point that good and 
holy men differ about; and I cannot find 
any text in the Bible that positively tells us." 
, Kenneth. Still, you have an opinion about 
it, mother, one way or the other : have you 
not? 

" As far as my own private opinion goes, 
I rather think I stand midway between the 
two extreme views. It does seem to me 
most likely that where God has given an 
actual prophecy about any thing he meant 
it to apply just to that one thing alone. 
But then such predictions are often linked 
with great general principles ; and, though 
the prophecy may refer to one special time, 
the principle may be applied at all times. 
I will tell you how I like to think about 
this. I often fancy a pious Jew, in the time 
of the captivity, calling to mind the words 
he has heard in the great congregation. 
He thinks over the third chapter of Exodus, 
and draws sweet consolation from the words 
of comfort, 4 I know their sorrows,' 'I have 
surely seen the affliction of my people which 
are in Egypt/ He feels that the same cove- 



fe. 



QUOTED VERSES. 199 



n ant God sees his affliction and knows his 
sorrows. He passes on to the promise, 
' And I am come down to deliver them up 
out of that land.' Those words contain no 
direct promise to him : they were spoken 
of the captives of Egypt, and of them only. 
But he knows that Isaiah and Jeremiah, 
and others of the prophets, had uttered 
similar predictions concerning the deliver- 
ance from Babylon. The former promise, 
therefore, reminds him of the latter, so that 
when he calls to mind how his forefathers 
were delivered from Egyptian bondage it 
strengthens his believing hope that he and 
his countrymen shall in like manner be 
rescued from the Babylonish captivity." 

Constance. And is this the way in which 
we may read the prophecies ? 

" It is just in this way that I ponder over 
them. I find some that have been fulfilled, 
and then I look for no other fulfilment of 
them ; but yet I see in them such proofs of 
God's mercy and compassion that they still 
serve to strengthen my confidence, to in- 
flame my love, to increase my hope and to 
heighten my joy. This subject of prophecy 
is one that you will think over as you stow 



200 KENNETH FORBES. 



older; and then you will form your own 
opinion as to whether it can have a double 
meaning or not. Only take care, whatever 
conclusion you arrive at, that you do not hold 
it so positively as to condemn all who differ 
from you. It has often grieved me to hear 
young people talking with self-conceit on 
this matter and setting themselves up as if 
they alone were right." 

Constance. Miss Miller was telling us 
about a cousin of her's, who says she can 
get no good from those preachers who do 
not think as she does about the millennium 
and about Christ's second coming. 

" That is precisely the spirit I am desirous 
you should avoid. It is right you should 
by-and-by study these subjects; but let it 
always be in the spirit, 'Lord, what I 
know not teach thou me;' and always with 
the remembrance that these are not the 
most important things. The most important 
are those which teach us the way to heaven ; 
and (blessed be God !) that path is made so 
plain that ' the wayfaring man, though a 
fool, need not err therein.' And now, my 
dear children, carry away with you this 
thought, — that the God of the prophecies 






QUOTED VERSES. 201 



is the God of the promises also. He who 
has already fulfilled so many of the former 
is able and willing to fulfil the latter. He 
who first predicted, and then accomplished, 
the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt and 
from Babylon, has pledged himself to deliver 
souls from Satan's power. He has promised 
that he will cast out none that come unto 
him through Christ. Do not doubt his 
word, but go and seek at his hand the de- 
liverance you need." 



202 KENNETH FORBES. 



CHAPTER XL 

THE GOSPEL KEY; OR, THE TWO TESTAMENTS. 

Kenneth. We have found more prophecies 
than we shall have time to tell you ; but 
there is one we should like to ask you 
about. 

" Let me hear your difficulty, and I will 
remove it if I can." 

Kenneth. In Matthew ii. 15, the w T ords, 
" Out of Egypt have I called my son," are 
taken from Hosea xi. 1 ; but there they are 
spoken of Israel's being delivered from 
Egypt. Why does Matthew apply them to 
Christ? 

" Because the God who had not left 
Israel, the child of his adoption, a captive 
in Egypt, would take even more care not 
to leave Christ, his only-begotten and well- 
beloved Son, an exile in that land. Although 
Christ was not brought out from Egypt in 
the same manner as the Israelites, yet he 
was brought out from it by the same means. 



THE GOSPEL KEY. 203 



The proof of God's fatherly care and good- 
ness was alike in each case. And in each 
case was seen the working of his mighty 
hand. It was probably for this reason that 
the inspired writer of the Gospel paused in 
his narrative to note down the resemblance 
and thus to call our attention to the un- 
changing goodness of God's providence." 

Kenneth Thank you, mother. What are 
we to have to-day? 

" There is something else that links the 
Old and New Testament together besides 
the prophecies. Can you tell what I am 
thinking of?" 

Constance. The types, perhaps. 

" And what is a type ?" 

Kenneth A figure, — from the Greek word 
tupos. 

Constance. Is it not what Paul calls "a 
shadow of good things to come" ?* 

" Yes : in other words, a Scripture type 
is 'an acted prophecy,' a prophecy given 
not in words but in deeds, a prophecy 
hidden in some event or in some ceremony. 
Can you tell me any of the Old Testament 

* Heb. x. 1 ; Col. ii. 17. 



204 KENNETH FORBES. 



types and the New Testament truths which 
they foreshadowed ?" 

Constance. The sacrifices were types of 
Christ, and so was the high-priest ; and the 
passover; and the scape-goat that we heard 
of on Sunday. 

Ella. And Canaan was a type of heaven. 

Kenneth. And Israel a type of God's peo- 
ple, and Zion of the church. And David 
and Moses were types of Christ; and so 
were the brazen serpent, and Noah's ark, 
and Jacob's ladder, and . . . 

" Stop : you are going on a little too fast. 
This is not quite so easy a matter as you 
seem to think. It is very possible to fancy 
a type where none was intended ; and, on 
the other hand, quite as possible to look at 
the type only and forget the antitype, — the 
substance it was designed to shadow forth." 

Constance. How can we tell what were 
meant as types ? 

"It is not possible to lay down a fixed 
rule, because the Bible has not done so. 
There is one point, however, on which we 
are quite certain : — every thing that was 
purposely appointed in order to prefigure 
Christ's ofiices or Christ's work must have 



THE GOSPEL KEY. 205 



been a type. This we cannot for a moment 
doubt. The sacrifices of the law, the sprink- 
ling of blood, the washings with water, the 
anointing with oil, the altar, the priesthood, 
and such like, were unquestionably typical. 
They were evidently but shadows. Apart 
from Christ and from the gospel, they had 
no meaning at all. The blood of bulls and 
goats could not take away sin. Outward 
purification could not make a man accept- 
able to the heart-searching God. These 
things were of no use except as the eye of 
faith looked through them to that which 
was represented by them. But there is 
some uncertainty about other things, — such 
as the brazen serpent, the manna, Noah's 
ark, &c. These may in many respects re- 
mind us of Christ, but yet they were in 
themselves something more than shadows. 
The brazen serpent was a real, though a 
strange, mode of healing. The manna fur- 
nished actual food. The ark afforded an 
effectual shelter. Each of these things had 
a positive end, which it fully answered. 
Many people call them types ; but perhaps 
it would be safer to call them emblems, 
because they did not necessarily lead the 

18 



206 KENNETH FORBES. 



thoughts onward to the coming Saviour. I 
tell you these things because I want you to 
get a habit of thinking and speaking accu- 
rately. But the most profitable thing for us 
to do will be to study something which we 
know to have been typical. Let us take the 
ceremonies appointed for the cleansing of a 
leper. You will find an account of them in 
Leviticus xiv. Read it through, verse by 
verse." 

Young reader, will you lay this book 
down till you have taken your Bible and 
have read the chapter through, as Kenneth 
and his sisters did ? If so, you w r ill better 
understand and enjoy what follows. 

"Now," said Mrs. Forbes, "I shall see 
who has been reading attentively. But tell 
me first what terrible disease is here re- 
ferred to." 

Ella. The leprosy. 

" That was a complaint which showed it- 
self on the skin. Was it incurable, or 
could it be healed ?" 

Constance. It could be healed; for this 
chapter tells us what a leper was to do when 
he was cured. 



THE GOSPEL KEY. 207 



" While the disease lasted, where did the 
leper live?" 

Kenneth He might not come into the 
camp, but had to go about with a covering 
on his upper lip, and had to cry, 'Unclean! 
unclean!' to prevent people from coming 
near him, for fear they should catch his 
leprosy. 

"Not exactly lest they should take the 
disease, but lest they should become cere- 
monially unclean." 

Kenneth. Was it not catching, mother ? 

"It is generally thought not. The le- 
prosy of the present day is not considered 
infectious. And there are one or two pass- 
ages in the Bible which seem to show that 
it was not so in former days. Wherever 
the law of Moses was not known or was 
not strictly kept, there lepers were not shut 
out from the society of their fellow-men. 
Thus Naaman, though a leper, was captain 
of the King of Syria's army ;* and Gehazi, 
though a leper for life, stood and talked 
with the King of Israel. f The reason why 
lepers were thus excluded by the Jewish 

* 2 Kings v. 1. f 2 Kings v. 27, and viii. 4, 5. 






208 KENNETH FOKBES. 



law was, that God had marked this disease 
as the special type of sin. As sin is loath- 
some and defiling, so the leper was to be 
accounted unclean, and all who came in 
contact with him were to be reckoned un- 
clean too. But, as you just now told me, 
the leprosy was in some instances removed. 
And here we have an account of the cere- 
mony connected with the leper's cleansing. 
Though his disease was gone, his defile- 
ment had yet to be removed. Though he 
had been healed, he had yet to be purified. 
To whom did the law require that he should 
show himself?" 

Ella. To the priest in the temple. 

Kenneth. No, not in the temple ; for it 
says in the third verse that the priest was 
to go to him outside the camp. 

" This might occasion a delay sometimes. 
The priest might be detained, or he might 
come slowly; and there the poor man w r ho 
had been a leper might stand waiting, long- 
ing, looking for his arrival. At length he 
sees him in the distance. He begins to 
tremble lest any symptoms of the disease 
should yet be found remaining and lest he 
should have all his hopes disappointed. 



THE GOSPEL KEY. 209 



The priest draws near, examines him, pro- 
nounces him healed, and proceeds to offer 
the required sacrifice. Of what did that 
consist?" 

Constance. Of two birds. 

" Two birds were taken, one of which 
was for sacrifice. It mattered not what 
kind, so long as they were c clean' birds. 
There was to be no further delay. No time 
was to be lost in seeking for birds of any 
particular sort. The first that came to 
hand, if they were but such as the law pro- 
nounced ' clean,' would avail. What other 
things were to be provided?" 

Ella. Cedar- wood, scarlet and hyssop. 

" Cedar-wood was used as an emblem of 
renewed health. The cedar was a vigorous, 
long-lived tree ; and its bark had a scent 
that w^as very sweet and pure. The hyssop 
was a plant that possessed purifying quali- 
ties. But now we must speak about the 
scarlet. You will want to know' what it 
was and how it was used. If I were to ask 
one of you to go and buy me some scarlet, 
you would ask me whether I meant scarlet 
silk, or scarlet wool, or scarlet thread, — 
because the word ' scarlet' by itself describes 

18* 



210 KENNETH FORBES. 



only a colour. What material was here in- 
tended, you will find by consulting Hebrews 
ix. 19." 

Constance. Scarlet wool. 

" Just so. The scarlet wool was fastened 
to the end of a hyssop-branch; and when 
this was dipped into the blood or the water 
that was to be sprinkled, the wool took up 
the moisture without sucking it in; while 
the stalk of the hyssop enabled the priest 
conveniently to hold it up and wave it 
about. "What was the priest to dip them 
into on this occasion?" 

Kenneth. The blood of the one bird that 
had been slain. 

"In what particular way was it to be 
slain?" 

Constance. In an earthen vessel over run- 
ning water. 

"And can you tell me why running water 
was to be used?" 

Constance. Because that is the purest kind. 

"Very good. You will find that the 
same ceremony was used in the cleansing 
of a leprous house ; and, as the account of 
that is a little fuller, you will see in the 
fifty-first verse that the scarlet and hyssop 



THE GOSPEL KEY. 211 



were to be clipped not only in the blood of 
the slain bird, but also in the running water. 
When this had been done, how often was 
the leper sprinkled with it?" 

Kenneth Seven times. That is the per- 
fect number. I suppose that was to show 
that he was perfectly cleansed. 

"Precisely so. Now tell me what else 
was to be dipped in the blood and in the 
water." 

Ella. The other bird, — the living one. 

Kenneth. And then the living bird was to 
be set free. 

" Set free, as a token of the liberty which 
the healed leper was to enjoy. It was not 
a means of his cleansing. He was first 
pronounced clean, and then the bird was 
let loose. I want you to notice the dif- 
ference between the living bird we are 
speaking of, and the living goat mentioned 
in the sixteenth chapter. You heard on 
Sunday how the one goat slain denoted 
Christ as dying for us ; and how the scape- 
goat which had the people's sins confessed 
over its head, and which was then carried 
right away into the wilderness, denoted 
Christ as bearing away the sins of the 



212 KENNETH EORBES. 



world. There is nothing of that kind here. 
The living bird had no sins confessed over 
it, no burden laid upon it. It was not 
carried forcibly away, but just set free and 
left to go whither it would. The idea con- 
veyed by this living bird when let loose is 
completely one of liberty and joy. Viewed 
as an emblem of the leprous man, it is 
most appropriate and beautiful. You can 
see the poor little bird that has been taken 
from its nest, fluttering with terror, beating 
its tiny wings and struggling in vain to get 
away. It is laid hold of by the very hand 
that has just killed its companion ; it is 
dipped into the blood and into the running 
water ; then the priest unlooses his grasp ; 
the captive stretches its wings, soars into 
the air, exults in its freedom, and, reaching 
a place of safety, pours forth its joyous 
song of liberty. Even so had the poor 
leper been in bondage, banished from his 
home, exiled from the camp, and terrified 
lest death should be the termination of his 
sickness ; but now the priest utters the glad- 
words that declare him free ; his heart leaps 
for gladness; and thankfully he turns his 
footsteps towards the camp from which for 



THE GOSPEL KEY. 213 



so long a season he lias been excluded. But 
what limit was still set to his freedom?" 

Constance. It says in the eighth verse that 
he might come into the camp at once, but 
that for the next seven days he might not 
go into his tent. 

"It is not difficult to find a reason for 
this. It w r as right he should enter God's 
house before he entered his own. And 
why was it needful that seven days should 
pass before he entered the temple ?" 

Kenneth. For fear his complaint should 
return. 

"That may have been one reason. And 
it was also in order to give time for further 
purification. He w r as again to shave off 
his hair, and wash his clothes, and cleanse 
his person, before he might go up to the 
courts of the Lord's house. All this was in- 
tended to remind him that he ought to serve 
God in the beauty of holiness. What more 
was he to do when the eighth day came?" 

Kenneth. He was to take three lambs. 

Constance. Or, if he was poor, one lamb 
and two birds. 

" God always had compassion on the 
poor. He did not require from them more 



214 KENNETH FORBES. 



than they could afford. But you see that 
from rich and poor alike he required the 
same number y though not the same kind, of 
sacrifices. Rich and poor were alike to go 
through the same ceremony. As both were 
sinners, so both needed the same cleansing. 
The priest might not take extra pains with 
the cleansing of the rich ; nor might he be 
careless in the sprinkling of the poor. He 
had to sprinkle each in the same way and 
the same number of times. What was 
there remarkable in the sprinkling which 
took place on the eighth day?" 

Kenneth. The priest took the blood and 
put it on the man's right ear, and his right 
thumb, and the great toe of his right foot; 
and then he touched all the same places over 
again with oil. What was that for, mother ? 

"Oil was an emblem, sometimes of con- 
secration and sometimes of joy. Kings 
and priests were generally set apart to their 
office by anointing ; and the cleansed leper 
was thus anointed with oil, because he was 
bound to consider himself as set apart to 
the service of that God who had so merci- 
fully healed him. The oil was put on 
these various parts of his body, to show 



THE GOSPEL KEY. 215 



that his whole person was to be devoted to 
God's service. But the sacrificial blood 
was applied before the oil, to show that his 
sins must be pardoned before his services 
could be accepted. You did not say any 
thing about the remainder of the oil being 
poured on his head; but you can easily 
imagine that in his case it would indeed 
be 'the oil of joy for mourning/ " 

Constance. And after this he was free to 
go wherever he liked : was he not ? 

"Yes: he might go to his own tent and 
rejoice in his own home. You have now 
seen all that was commanded for a leper's 
cleansing ; and I hope you have understood 
that there was much in these observances 
very beautiful and suitable. But we have 
still to inquire into the spiritual lessons 
which are hidden in these types. It is as if 
we were presented with a splendid and ex- 
.quisitely-finished jewel-case. We are sure 
that there are precious gems within ; but we 
must seek the right key to unlock it. "Where 
can that key be found?" 

Constance. In the New Testament. 

"Tell me how far you can trace the 
meaning of these types." 



216 KENNETH FORBES 



Kenneth. The leprosy was a type of sin ; 
and the sacrifices were types of Christ, whose 
blood was shed for the salvation of sinners. 

"And what do we need beside pardon?" 

Constance. We need the Holy Spirit to 
give us a new heart. 

" That was typified by the clear running 
water. And what can you tell me about 
the living bird ?" 

Kenneth. You said it was a good emblem 
of the leper's freedom : so I suppose it was 
a type of the sinner's being set free. 

"Most likely it was. Christ said, ' If the 
Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall 
be free indeed.' He sets his people free 
from the curse of the law, fror$ the bondage 
of Satan, from the dominion of sin and 
from the fear of death. But we must not 
forget that the cleansed leper was not free 
to go anywhere and everywhere. He had 
still a law to keep. And, much as he longed, 
to be at home, he had yet a while to tarry 
abroad. So it is with the Christian. Though 
he is free, he must not abuse his freedom.* 
He is under a law, though it is the law of 

* 1 Pet. ii. 16. 



THE GOSPEL KEY. 217 



liberty.* He has not yet reached his hea- 
venly home. When he is admitted to those 
celestial mansions to which his heart aspires, 
then he will better understand what is the 
glorious liberty of the children of God."f 

Constance. How much meaning there is 
in every part of these types ! It makes 
them so interesting ! 

" There is indeed a glorious fulness in 
what they teach. I should like you care- 
fully to notice one thing more. "We are 
plainly taught the source of this liberty. 
The bird was not set free till it had been 
dipped in the blood of the bird slain ; nor 
did the leper's liberty commence until he 
had in like manner been, sprinkled. And 
so the freedom Christians have is in con- 
sequence of Christ's death. There is one 
verse of which this chapter always reminds 
me, — 1 Cor. i. 30. What is Christ there 
said to be made unto his people ?" 

Ella. ''Wisdom and righteousness and 
sanctification and redemption." 

" Just take these three last ideas, and you 
have the very things set before us in the 

* James i. 25, and ii. 12. j- Rom. viii. 21. 

19 



218 KENNETH FORBES. 



leper's first cleansing. There was the flow- 
ing blood : that reminds us of the ' righteous- 
ness' or justification which is provided for 
us through Christ's death. There was the 
running water : that reminds us of the 
< sanctification,' or holiness, w T hich we have 
through Christ's Spirit and following Christ's 
example. There was the liberated bird : that 
reminds us of the ' redemption,' or freedom, 
w r hich Christ has wrought out for his people." 

Constance. And would you tell us what 
was taught by the service on the eighth day ? 

" The fact that a fresh sacrifice was then 
offered may remind us that we need again 
and again to come to Christ for pardon. 
And the consecration of the leper with oil 
may show us how we are bound to live, not 
unto ourselves, but unto Him that loved us 
and gave himself for us. Do not forget 
that you have by nature a heart defiled with 
the leprosy of sin, nor where you can obtain 
immediate cleansing. Do not forget how- 
joyous is the freedom of those whose trans- 
gressions are blotted out and to whom there 
is no condemnation. Seek the Saviour 
without delay, and spend the rest of your 
days in his service." 



THE SCOPE. 219 



CHAPTER XII. 

the scope; or, the two parables. 

" You gave me so many types yesterday/' 
said Mrs. Forbes, " that I scarcely expect 
to find you have been searching for fresh 
ones." 

"Yes, we have," replied Constance; "but 
we were puzzled about one thing. Were 
David and Solomon and Moses and Joshua 
types ? I have often heard them called so ; 
but then they did not live only to be shadows 
of Christ ; for they were real men and had 
their own work to do." 

" If you speak of them as to their indi- 
vidual character and private history, then 
they cannot be regarded as meant for types 
of the Saviour. No sacrifices were fitted 
to represent him but such as were * without 
blemish and without spot ;' whereas the men 
of whom you speak were polluted and 
stained by many and grievous transgressions. 
As men, they were like all other men. 



220 KENNETH EORBES. 



Their lives were full of human passions and 
human interests and human mistakes and 
human sins. If, however, you think only 
of their official character and public history, 
there you can rightly trace foreshadowings 
of the future. Aaron, as a high-priest, was 
designed to lead on the thoughts to Christ, 
the High-Priest of the Christian Church. 
Moses was raised up to be a prophet because 
the Lord God would, in after-times, raise up 
one like unto him, — one who could like him 
speak with God face to face, and therefore 
could like him declare God's mind and will 
to the people. Joshua succeeded Moses, 
inherited his authority, and led the Israelites 
into Canaan, — thus performing a work which 
typified Christ's bringing home his ransomed 
ones to their heavenly rest. David was 
raised up to be Israel's warlike and victorious 
king, that he might prefigure the conquests 
of his Son and Lord. Solomon occupied 
the same throne, and was distinguished by 
his wisdom and his wealth, that he might 
shadow forth the greater righteousness and 
higher glory of Him who was to be king in 
the spiritual Zion." 

Kenneth. But then, mother, other men 



THE SCOPE. 221 



besides David and Solomon were kings over 
God's people. Were they all types of Christ ? 

"They are not generally so regarded. 
Perhaps it is because their regal glory was 
so eclipsed by the successes of David and 
the prosperity of Solomon as to be entirely 
concealed from our view. Or more likely 
it is because, after Solomon's days, Israel 
and Judah were divided ; and then the kings 
ceased to be fit types of Christ, whose church 
is 'one fold under one shepherd,' one king- 
dom under one king. Ella looks as if our 
new subject would interest her more." 

Mia. What is it to be, dear mother? 

" There is another way of studying the 
Bible besides those I have explained to you. 
I have not told you any thing about paying 
attention to what is called the ' scope' of a 
passage." 

Ella. What does that mean ? 

" The term ' scope' is derived from a 
Greek word, which means first a mark or 
target, and then an aim, a purpose, a de- 
sign. You have seen Kenneth sometimes 
shooting his arrows at random, letting them 
go here or there or anywhere ; but at other 
times he sets himself to aim at his target, 

19* 



222 KENNETH FORBES. 



and always tries to hit the very centre of it. 
Now, when you read the Bible, you must 
not fancy that the sacred writers were 
allowed to sit down and write at random 
just whatever ideas happened to come first. 
You must recollect that they always had 
some object at which they were aiming, 
some special point which they kept in view. 
And you must always try to discover what 
was their exact scope or design." 

Constance, Is it not rather difficult, to find 
that out ? 

"Not always. If the writing or book is 
a short one, its purpose is easily ascertained. 
For example, turn to the book of Obadiah, 
and tell me its design. " 

Kenneth. It looks as if it had two designs : 
it would reprove and warn the Edomites, 
and it would comfort the Israelites. 

"Very good. Now tell me the scope of 
the Epistle to Philemon." 

Ella. Oh, I know that, mother : it was to 
persuade him to take back the servant that 
had run away from him. 

"In some instances, the writer of a book 
sets out by expressly telling us his inten- 



THE SCOPE, 223 



tion. What, for example, was Jude's de- 
sign?" 

Constance. He says it was to exhort men 
that they should " contend earnestly for the 
faith once delivered to the saints," because 
8 false teachers were arising. 

" What does the Preacher tell us to have 
been his aim in writing Ecclesiastes ?" 

Kenneth. To prove that "all is vanity." 

"And why did Luke write his Gospel?" 

"Oh, I see," said Constance, turning to 
it: "he begins by saying that there w^ere 
many people giving such accounts, and 
therefore he wished to give a true one, as 
he had seen it all himself." 

" There are other writers who tell us their 
design as plainly, but not just at the begin- 
ning. Thus, the scope of John's Gospel 
you will find in chapter xx. 31." 

Mia. " These are written that ye might 
believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that 
believing ye might have life through his 
name." 

"John's intention, you see, was to prove 
that Jesus was not a mere man." 

Kenneth. Oh, yes : he begins his Gospel 
with that: — "In the beginning was the 



224 KENNETH FORBES. 



Word, and the Word was with God, and 
the Word was God." But I never thought 
before that he wrote the whole book to 
prove it. 

" It would be interesting for you to read 
his Gospel through with that idea in your 
mind, and trace out how the various events 
and discourses recorded by John help to 
confirm it. Does Peter tell us for what 
purpose he wrote his two Epistles? Look 
at 2 Peter iii. 1."* 

Ella. " This second epistle, beloved, I 
now write unto you, in both which I stir 
up your pure minds by way of remem- 
brance." 

"It was not his object, he says, to reveal 
new truth, or to follow out new lines of 
argument, but to gather up and enforce 
well-known truths which were in danger of 
being forgotten. It is not always, however, 
that the scope is thus clearly pointed out. 
Sometimes we have to find it for ourselves 
by carefully looking through a whole book 
and noticing the connection that runs 
through all the chapters'. Perhaps you can 

* As also 2 Peter i. 12, 13. 



THE SCOPE. 225 



tell me Paul's design in writing his first 
Epistle to the Corinthians." 

Kenneth. The first Epistle ? Oh, that is 
the one father has just been reading at 
prayer-time in the evenings. Was it not to 
reprove the Corinthians for being so dis- 
orderly ? They had contentions among 
them, and wicked people; and they let 
their women speak in the churches and go 
with their heads uncovered; and they all 
wanted to speak at once in unknown 
tongues ; and they drank till they were 
drunken, when they should have been 
solemnly taking the Lord's Supper. 

"Well, you have a clear idea of the 
scope of that Epistle. Though you do not 
find any verse which tells you Paul's de- 
sign, yet, by looking the Epistle through 
and comparing its parts, you get a general 
idea of it. In the same way you may dis- 
cover the scope, not only of books, but of 
particular chapters. You may try this by 
yourselves, and when we next meet I should 
like you to give me the scope of whichever 
happens to be your favourite chapter. To- 
day I shall ask you to read to me two 
parables, the object of which is pretty 



226 KENNETH FORBES. 



nearly the same. One is in the Old Testa- 
ment, — Isaiah v. 1-7." 

These verses were read one by one ; and 
then the ISTew Testament parable recorded 
in Luke xiii. 6-9. 

Mrs. Forbes proceeded: — "Here you find 
one parable about a vineyard, and the other 
about a fig-tree. But you will see how 
much they are alike, if you notice the four 
principal things which they describe. They 
both agree in telling of care bestowed, of 
produce expected, of hopes disappointed, 
and of anger displayed. 

Kenneth. First, The care bestowed. The 
vineyard w r as fenced. . . . 

Ella. "What was that for ? 

" To keep out the wild beasts that w r ould 
have trodden it down. And what more 
was done?" 

Kenneth. The stones were gathered out, 
which would have hindered the vines from 
growing. And a tower was built : was that 
for the vinedresser to live in ? 

"Yes ; that he might watch it constantly, 
and keep it from harm by night and by day."* 

* Tpa. xxvii. 3. 



THE SCOPE. 227 



Kenneth And a wine-press was ready for 
treading out the grapes. 

"It will be time enough to speak of the 
wine-press by and by. That was not needed 
to make the vine grow well. We are talk- 
ing now of the pains taken with it. You 
have not noticed how carefully the vine was 
chosen and how well it was planted, — not 
thrown down upon the soil to take its 
chance of putting forth its roots into the 
ground. Moreover, it was good ground : 
the spot was well chosen 'in a very fruitful 
hill.' Now, can you see the same idea of 
diligent preparation hinted at in the other 
parable ?" 

Constance. The fig-tree was planted too : 
and, as it was in a vineyard, it must have 
been in good ground, — better than if it had 
stood by the wayside. And the husband- 
man knew how to " dig about it and dung 
it" 

"Nothing was neglected in either case 
that could help to make the trees fruitful. 
The question might well be asked, 'What 
could have been done more to my vineyard 
that I have not done in it?' Of whom 



228 KENNETH FORBES. 



were the vineyard and the fig-tree designed 
to be emblems?" 

Ella. Of the Jews, I suppose. 

Kenneth. It says so, Ella, in the seventh 
verse : — " The vineyard of the Lord of hosts 
is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah 
his pleasant plant." 

" God had placed his people in the fa- 
voured land of Canaan. He had fenced 
them in with good and righteous and holy 
laws. He had cast out the heathen nations 
from before them. He had kept his eye 
constantly upon them for their good. He 
had supplied their every want. And he 
had a right to ask, ' What could have been 
done more?' The same inquiry, my dear 
children, may be put in reference to you. 
What could God have done more for you ? 
Has he not placed you in a Christian land 
and in the midst of Christian privileges? 
Has he not granted you pious parents and 
pious friends ? Has he not provided you 
with a sanctuary to worship in, and with a 
faithful minister to teach you the good 
knowledge of the Lord ? Has he not given 
you the Bible and mai^y helps to the under- 
standing of the Bible ? Has he not made 






THE SCOPE. 229 



you hear the joyful sound of the gospel? 
Has he not opened very wide for you the 
path to heaven ? Just tell me : is there any 
one thing he might have done for you 
which he has failed to do ?" 

Constance. No, indeed, there is not. 

" Then so far these parables apply to your 
case ; for on you has been bestowed the care 
here described. What was the second thing 
we had to notice?" 

Kenneth. The produce expected. 

" The owner of the vineyard ' looked that 
it should bring forth grapes,' and he had the 
wine-press ready to receive them when the 
vintage-time came. The owner of the fig- 
tree also ' came and sought fruit thereon/ 
Were these expectations unreasonable ?" 

Mia. No, mother: there ought to have 
been a great many very good grapes and 
figs. 

" Assuredly there should. Even trees that 
grow by the wayside might be expected to 
yield some fruit,* but trees so well planted 
and so w^ell tended as these, ought surely to 
have brought forth much. So natural was 

* Matt. xxi. 19. 
20 



230 KENNETH FORBES. 



it to expect this result that it even passed 
into a proverb, ' Whoso keepeth the fig-tree 
shall eat the fruit thereof.'* It might have 
been possible, indeed, to form an unreason- 
able expectation, — such as that which the 
Apostle James supposes, chapter iii. 12." 

Constance. " Can the fig-tree, my brethren, 
yield olive-berries ? either a vine figs ?" 

"It was far otherwise in the parables 
before us. The fruit expected in each case 
was just that which it was the nature of the 
tree to yield. But was it too hasty an ex- 
pectation?" 

Kenneth. ISTo: Luke speaks of the hus- 
bandman's coming three years to seek fruit. 

" He had long patience ; and even then he 
was willing, at the request of the vine- 
dresser, to wait yet another year, by way of 
giving a longer trial. In one twelve-month 
he had a right to look for produce, but after 
three or four years he might well begin to 
despair of it. Isaiah explains, in the seventh 
verse, what kind of fruits God expected from 
his ancient people." 

Constance. He looked for "judgment" and 
" righteousness." 

* Prov. xxvii. 18. 



THE SCOPE. 231 



" God had taught them what was just. 
He had taught them what was righteous. 
He had shown forth his own justice and 
righteousness; and he had reason enough 
to expect that, as a return for all his good- 
ness, they would seek to walk in his ways. 
Can you tell me what he expects from 
you?" 

Kenneth. The " fruits of righteousness." 

" He expects holy thoughts and words and 
ways. He expects that if you know of 
heaven, you should seek it; that if you have 
heard of Jesus, you should love him ; that if 
you have been taught, to remember the 
Sabbath-day, you should keep it holy ; that if 
you have been warned against falsehood, you 
should always tell the truth ; that if you have 
learned to know his will, you should seek 
to do it. He expects fresh fruit from every 
fresh teaching that is given you. You have 
had instruction for one year, — two years, — 
three years, — and some of you even longer. 
It is reasonable enough that, where so much 
has been given, very much should be re- 
quired. Now let us pass to the third sub- 
ject of these parables." 

Kenneth. The hopes disappointed. The 



232 KENNETH FORBES. 



vine brought forth wild grapes, and the fig- 
tree had no fruit at all. 

" There was a fine show of full clusters 
hanging on the vine, but the grapes were 
wild, sour and poisonous. The fig-tree may 
have been thickly covered with leaves, but 
not a single fig was to be met with. In 
each the appearance of fruit was a deceitful 
one. In like manner the Jewish people had 
abundant leaves of profession and a fine 
outward show of devotion; but what was 
found in them instead of the judgment and 
righteousness that were expected?'' 

Constance. The Lord " looked for judg- 
ment, but behold oppression ; for righteous- 
ness, but behold a cry." 

""Wild grapes indeed were these, — not 
such as answered to the care that had been 
bestowed. Take heed lest it be so with 
you. There is great danger of resting 
satisfied with the mere appearance, without 
the reality of good fruit. You may be 
growing in knowledge of God's word ; you 
may take an interest in the mere letter of 
the Bible ; you may yield an outward, formal 
obedience to God's requirements ; and yet 
these things may be but clusters of sour 






THE SCOPE. 233 



grapes, not really acceptable to the Lord of 
the vineyard. But if you sincerely delight 
in spiritual truth, if you wish for holiness 
of heart as well as of life, if you strive to 
obey God because he is your Father in 
heaven whom you love, and because Jesus 
died to save you from your sins, and because 
the Holy Spirit helps you to resist tempta- 
tion, — then in you there is some good fruit. 
It may be very little as yet ; but you can 
thank God for the care he has taken of you, 
and ask him to go on making you bring 
forth more and more the fruits of holiness. 
But there was a fourth thing we were to 
speak of." 

Ella. The anger displayed. 

" Yes : in each parable the owner of the 
vineyard is represented as having been 
angry, and justly angry. In each he is said 
to have resolved that no more culture should 
be wasted on such fruitless trees. There 
w T ould have been cause for this if they had 
only been fruitless ; but this was not all : — 
they were positively injurious. The wild 
grapes were not merely useless, but actually 

* Josh. xxx. 20. 
20* 



234 KENNETH FOKBES. 



poisonous. The fig-tree was not only bar- 
ren, but it cumbered the ground. It not 
only took up the room that might have been 
filled by a better tree, but it exhausted the 
fertility of the soil and endangered the 
fruitfulness of the surrounding vines. Just 
so it is with every sinner. He cannot perish 
alone in his iniquity. His example leads 
others on to do evil. Remember this : 
whoever of you withholds the heart from 
Christ may be helping to keep the others 
from yielding their hearts to his service. 
Let us see how the righteous anger of the 
disappointed husbandman was expressed." 

Constance. The fig-tree was to be cut 
down if after another year it bore no fruit. 

"And what was to be done with the 
vineyard?" 

Kenneth. It says, "I will take away the 
hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up ; and 
break down the wall thereof, and it shall be 
trodden down ; and I will lay it waste : it 
shall not be pruned nor digged, but there 
shall come up briers and thorns ; I will also 
command the clouds that they rain no rain 
upon it." 

" In that last clause you see that the form 






THE SCOPE. 235 



of the parable is no longer strictly kept; 
but a hint is plainly given that no earthly 
husbandman is meant. The possessor of 
this vineyard was one who had power to 
command the clouds and to withhold the 
rain. You maj^ notice both a likeness and 
a difference in this latter part of the two 
parables. They are exactly alike in their 
scope or design. They are both intended 
to show that the husbandman ceases to be- 
stow his labour on what continues to be un- 
productive. The object of both is to teach 
the important . lesson that God will deprive 
us of the privileges by which we refuse to 
profit. But the manner in which they 
teach this one lesson is not just the same. 
The barren fig-tree was to be cut down, and 
so removed from its place ; but the unfruit- 
ful vineyard was to be entirely laid waste. 
So there are two ways in which God may 
deal with us if we fail to bring forth right- 
eous fruits. Either he may take us away 
from our privileges, or he may take our 
privileges away from us." 

Ella. I don't quite understand that, 
mother. 

" I will try to make it plain by an exam- 



236 KENNETH FORBES. 



pie. Fancy that you see a Sunday-school 
teacher in a little country village with his 
class of boys around him. You find that 
he is very earnest in his work. He comes 
w^eek after week, and his eight scholars are 
just as regular as he is. They would not 
like to be away, for they know their teacher 
will be there, and they have learned their 
lessons and sought out their proofs. He 
questions them, and they give bright, sen- 
sible answers. He talks to them, and they 
listen attentively. You are disposed to 
think all is going on very well. But the 
teacher's heart is sad. He has looked 
closely at these outward appearances, and 
he finds they are but as wild grapes. There 
is no depth of feeling, no penitence of 
heart, no seeking after salvation. Visit the 
class again after six months have passed. 
The teacher is at his post still ; his scholars 
assemble around him, but there are two 
absent. One has been laid in the grave, 
and the other is gone with his parents to 
another and distant country, to a lonely 
spot, where he has no school, no sanctuary, 
perhaps not even a Bible. These two lads 
have been like the barren fig-tree, and now T 



THE SCOPE. 237 



the place which knew them knows them no 
more. The room is open ; the sound of in- 
struction is heard, but they are not there to 
give ear. They have been taken away from 
their privileges. Go once more to the village 
after a lapse of some few years. Death has 
again been there, and this time it has laid 
its hand upon the faithful teacher. You 
inquire for the school-room ; it is shut up. 
You trace out the six youths who were left. 
They are all living; they remain in the 
same locality, but the, neighbourhood is 
buried in spiritual darkness; the joyful 
sound of the gospel is no longer heard ; no 
man cares for their soul. They are left 
where they were, but their privileges have been 
taken from them. The vineyard proved sterile, 
and it has been laid waste. Does my Ella 
understand the difference now?" 

Ella. Yes, mother. Then when Kenneth 
goes away to school next week he will be 
taken away from his privileges, won't he ? 

"From his home privileges; but I hope 
he will find others almost as good where he 
is going. Your father is taking care to 
send him where the interests of his soul 
will be cared for." 



238 KENNETH FORBES. 



Kenneth. And Constance has promised to 
write me long letters and tell me a great 
deal about your Bible-classes. 

"Just at present, then, we cannot say- 
that God is either taking you from your 
privileges or your privileges from you. 
But you do not know how soon he may do 
so. God is now trying you a little longer, 
but perhaps only saying of you as was said 
of the fig-tree, 'Let them alone this year 
also.' You must seek to bring forth fruit 
without delay. Can you ever do this of 
yourselves?" 

Constance. No, mother: we have a sinful 
nature; and a "corrupt tree cannot bring 
forth good fruit."* 

" It is true that all our best doings are 
by nature as wild grapes. But Jesus has 
told us that he is the true vine ; and that 
though without him we can do nothing, yet 
if we abide in him, and he in us, we shall 
bring forth much fruit.f Be it your prayer 
that you may be united to him by faith. 
Go to Jesus, and ask him to give you a 

* Matt. vii. 17, 18. f John xv. 5. 



THE SCOPE. 239 



new nature, and to fill you with those fruits 
which the Holy Spirit works in all his 
people."* 

* Gal. v. 22, 23. 



240 KENNETH FORBES. 



CHAPTER XIIL 

the occasion; or, the removal of 

THE ARK. 

The Sabbath, as usual, brought its own 
weekly duties, which superseded the regu- 
lar Scripture lesson ; but the intervals of 
spare time had been well employed by our 
young friends in reading and pondering 
the chapters they had undertaken to study. 
Ella's favourite psalm was the ninety-first, 
with portions of which her mother had 
often succeeded in driving away the child- 
ish fears of her little, timid spirit. "I like 
it," she said, "because it is all designed to 
show how safe we may feel when we re- 
member that God can take care of us." 
Constance's choice was the eighth of 
Romans, which, as she rightly judged, has 
for its scope the blessedness of those who 
are the servants of Jesus Christ. And 
Kenneth had no hesitation in deciding that 
his favourite chapter, the eleventh of 



THE OCCASION. 241 



Hebrews, was intended to show the effects 
of faith on men's conduct, especially in 
making them obedient and courageous. 

" There is one thing," said Mrs. Forbes, 
"which w 7 ill often help us to get at the 
right scope of any passage, and that is, 
having a clear idea of the occasion on which 
it was written. Thus, in reading a Psalm, 
it is extremely interesting to think of the 
circumstances which caused it to be penned. 
We cannot always do this, because we are 
not told the date of every Psalm. Fre- 
quently, however, the title specifies the 
exact period ; and when it does, we shall 
generally gain something by noticing it. 
For instance, look at the title of the fifty- 
ninth Psalm, and tell me when it was com- 
posed." 

Constance. "When Saul sent, and they 
watched the house to kill David." 

"You have read the history to which 
that refers.* You remember how David's 
wife heard of the plot that w y as formed 
against him ; how she let him out through 
the w T indow of the house the night before, 

* 1 Sam. xix. 11-18. 
Q 21 



242 KENNETH FORBES. 



and then laid an image in the bed, in order 
that when morning light came the messen- 
gers might be longer in finding out that he 
was not there. It was on that same night 
David poured out the prayer given us in 
this Psalm, and before he had finished it 
his fear gave place to hope, so that in the 
sixteenth verse he cried out joyfully, <I 
will sing of thy powder; yea, I will sing 
aloud of thy mercy in the morning.' The 
history shows you why he makes mention 
of the 'morning;' it was because the next 
dawn of day had been marked by his ene- 
mies for the time of his death ; but he could 
now look forward to it as a time of deliver- 
ance. That very morning on which his 
enemies hoped to have silenced his voice 
for ever, he would be far out of their reach, 
hymning the praises of the God who had 
saved him from their power. Every even- 
ing, as well as every morning, David could 
find reason to praise the Lord ; but he had 
special reason that morning, because it was 
a morning of special mercy. You see from 
this example how a single word may have 
fresh light poured upon it, fresh meaning 
found in it, fresh beauty added to it, by 



THE OCCASION. 243 



knowing exactly when it was written. But 
sometimes this fresh light and beauty are 
thrown in the same way upon a whole 
Psalm from its beginning to its close. "We 
can read one to-day. Let us take the sixty- 
eighth. " 

Kenneth. Did you say the sixty-eighth? 
There is no particular title to that. 

" There is not ; but yet there is much in 
the Psalm itself to prove on what occasion 
it was written." 

Constance. The heading says, "A prayer 
at the removing of the ark." 

"Let us see whether we can find a proof 
of that. Read the first verse." 

Kenneth. "Let God arise, let his enemies 
be scattered; let them also that hate him 
flee before him." 

"Do you remember any occasion on 
which such words as these were regularly 
used?" 

Constance. Moses used to say them at the 
removing of the ark. I think it is some- 
where in Numbers. 

"Yes, — chapter x. 35: — 'Rise up, Lord, 
and let thine enemies be scattered ; and let 
them that hate thee flee before thee/ The 



244 KENNETH FOKBES. 



verses are so exactty alike that we cannot 
help thinking the occasion must have been 
the same. But was the ark ever removed 
in David's time?'' 

Kenneth. Oh, yes; when he brought the 
ark to Mount Zion from the house of ... . 
of ... . 

Constance. Of Obededom. 

"We are told of several Psalms which 
were composed at that time. The ninety- 
sixth, and part of the hundred-and-fifth, 
were then put by David into the hands of 
the musicians, for the close of the day's 
service. But the people were shouting, 
and singing with psalteries and harps, 
during the time when the ark was being 
carried in procession; and it seems as if 
the Psalm we are now going to read had 
been written purposely for them to sing 
upon the way. While the ark was being 
borne forth, with staves or poles resting on 
the shoulders of the Levites, the strain ap- 
propriately commenced in the well-known 
words of Moses, — w^ords that had long been 
set apart specially for such a scene and 
such a service. How does the Psalmist 
enlarge upon the ancient form of words?" 



THE OCCASION. 245 



Constance. "As smoke is driven away, so 
drive them away : as wax melteth before the 
fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence 
of God." 

"What contrast does David go on to 
draw?" 

Ella. "But let the righteous be glad; let 
them rejoice before God ; yea, let them ex- 
ceedingly rejoice." 

"In what way does he exhort the right- 
eous to give expression to their joy?" 

Kenneth. "Sing unto God, sing praises 
to his name: extol him that rideth upon 
the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice 
before him." 

"Here God's greatness is given as one 
reason why he should be praised. He rides 
upon the heavens, far exalted above the 
highest dignity that earth can know. His 
name is JAH; that is the short of JE- 
HOVAH. He is the great I AM,— the 
One ever-living God. But David gives a 
second reason why God should be praised, 
— namely, for his goodness : What is said 
about that?" 

Constance. "A father of the fatherless, 
21* 



246 KENNETH FORBES. 



and a judge of the widows, is God in his 
holy habitation." 

"We have here the same idea we met 
with once before. Though God's dwelling- 
place is in heaven, yet he manages the 
affairs of earth, and makes the meanest 
and most helpless his special care. After 
the Psalm has thus begun with praise to 
God for his greatness and goodness in gene- 
ral, it goes on in the next nine verses to 
describe some special acts of power and 
mercy which had been wrought for the 
Israelites. Which of these is the first 
named?" 

Ella. The next verse begins, " God setteth 
the solitary in families." 

" This is a stepping-stone, which leads 
from the former subject to the new one. 
Individuals make up families ; families 
make up nations ;■ and the same divine pro- 
vidence that watches over individuals also 
watches over families and over nations too. 
Perhaps there is an allusion here to the 
origin of the Jewish people. Solitary enough 
was Jacob when he passed over the brook 
alone ; but God set him in a family, and 
when he recrossed the stream he had his 



THE OCCASION. 247 



children with him, — those twelve children 
from whom sprang the twelve tribes of Is- 
rael. "What was the first special mercy 
wrought for them as a nation ?" 

Kenneth. Their being brought out of 
Egypt. 

"How is it here described?" 

Kenneth. "He bringeth out those which 
are bound with chains." But, mother, were 
the Israelites chained in Egypt ? 

"This is figurative language. Chains are 
the emblem of slavery; and the Israelites 
had been in bitter bondage, from which 
God set them free. But did all who left 
Egypt enter Canaan?" 

Constance. No : all but Caleb and Joshua 
died in the wilderness. 

"Why was that?" 

Kenneth Because they rebelled and mur- 
mured against God. 

"What reference is here made to it?" 

Constance. "But the rebellious dwell in a 
dry land." 

"In what part of the wilderness had God 
most remarkably manifested himself to his 
people?" 

Kenneth. At Mount Sinai. 



248 KENNETH FOKBES. 



"Read the two verses which, describe 
that awful scene." 

Mia. " God, when thou wentest forth 
before thy people, when thou diclst march 
through the wilderness, the earth shook, 
the heavens also dropped at the presence 
of God ; even Sinai itself was moved at the 
presence of God, the God of Israel." 

" This was an awful display of God's 
power. Did he ever manifest that power 
more gently and more graciously?" 

Kenneth. Yes : it goes on to say, " Thou, 
God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby 
thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when 
it was weary." 

" The heavens dropped rain at Sinai,* 
but the storm was a fearful one. In Ca- 
naan also the rain descended, but the shower 
was a fertilizing one, making the earth soft 
and the heart of man glad. "When the 
people had reached that good land, were 
they still wanderers ?" 

Constance. No : it says in the tenth verse, 
" Thy congregation hath dwelt therein ; 

* See also Judges v. 4, 5. 



THE OCCASION. 249 



thou, God, hast prepared of thy goodness 
for the poor." 

" Their settlement was a proof of God's 
'goodness.' This was goodness shown to 
the 'poor' or afflicted; for they had been 
wearied with the toils and hardships of the 
desert. But this settlement had not been 
gained without a struggle ; and, therefore, 
the next verse refers to the wars they had 
to fight." 

Ella. " The Lord js;ave the word ; great 
was the company of those that published 
it." 

" God is described as the leader giving 
the battle-word; and so immediate is the 
conquest that the notes of triumph instantly 
follow, and ' great is the company of those 
that publish' the victory in their songs of 
praise. What is the substance of their 
rejoicings? ... It is given in the twelfth 
verse." 

Kenneth. " Kings of armies did flee apace ; 
and she that tarried at home divided the 
spoil." 

" The enemy took to speedy flight ; and 
the conquering Israelites found spoil enough 
for themselves and for their families. What 



250 KENNETH FORBES. 



was to be the final result of their vic- 
tories?" 

Constance. " Though ye have lain among 
the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a 
dove covered with silver, and her feathers 
with yellow gold." 

Ella. What a pretty verse that seems, 
mother ! Do tell us what it means. 

"To have 'lain among the pots,' denotes 
a state of degradation and debasement, such 
as Israel had known in Egypt. But the 
time was coming when they should be in a 
state of peaceful repose and glorious pros- 
perity. The soft, sleek plumage of a dove 
is an emblem of tranquillity, while the tints 
of silver and gold denote wealth. In 
whose days was this description most fully 
realized?" 

Constance. "When Solomon was king. 

" Certainly ; and therefore David here 
spoke of it as something that was future, — 
a higher blessing that was still in store for 
them. Having spoken of the conquerors, 
what does he then say about the con- 
quered?" 

Mia. "When the Almighty scattered 



THE OCCASION. 251 



kings in it, it was white as snow in Sal- 
mon." 

" The simplest explanation of this verse 
seems to be, that God had so completely 
destroyed their enemies that, the land was 
covered with their whitened bones, just as 
the top of Salmon was covered with snow. 
It is a strong figure to show how numerous 
their enemies were, and how entirely they 
were overthrown. This finishes the first 
division of the Psalm. All these verses are 
just a comment on the words with which 
the holy song began : — i Let God arise, let 
his enemies be scattered.' What we have 
been reading would be said or sung as the 
procession moved onward. But at length 
they came within view of Mount Zion ; and 
it seems as if the fifteenth verse was meant 
to be struck up when first they caught sight 
of it in the distance. You will see that two 
words of that verse are in italics : we may 
therefore alter the order of them. Will you 
try, Kenneth, to read it as a question?" 

Kenneth. "Is the hill of God as the hill 
of Bashan? an high hill as the hill of 
Bashan?" 

" They are to inquire which is the hill of 



252 KENNETH FORBES. 



God. ' Is the hill of God the hill of Bashan V 
^o,' would be the answer: < Bashan has 
not been chosen.' A second question is 
asked : — ' Is the hill of God a high hill like 
that of Bashan ?' Again the answer would 
be, ' No : Zion is not so lofty.' What is the 
third question asked?" 

Constance. " Why leap ye, ye high hills ?" 

" These sudden questions are full of poetic 
beauty ; especially the last, which addresses 
Bashan and the surrounding hills as if they 
were conscious of their loftiness. 'Why 
leap ye' in your pride ? Why boast ye of 
your height ? Your triumphing is at an end ! 
What does the Psalmist say to check their 
boasting ?" 

Mia. "This is the hill which God de- 
sireth to dwell in ; yea, the Lord will dwell 
in it forever." 

"Bashan was high; but Zion was to be 
the residence of the Most High. With what 
other mountain is Zion compared?" 

Kenneth. With Sinai. "The chariots of 
God are twenty thousand, even thousands 
of angels ; the Lord is among them, as in 
Sinai, in the holy place." 

" The Lord manifested his presence on 



THE OCCASION. 253 



both these mountains ; on both he was at- 
tended with myriads of angels; and both 
were hallowed ground. On Sinai, indeed, 
he displayed his terrors ; while on Zion he 
had his mercy-seat. On Sinai he only ap- 
peared; on Zion he took up his abode. 
What does our Psalm next say?" 

Constance. " Thou hast ascended on high, 
thou hast led captivity captive : thou hast 
received gifts for men ; yea, for the rebellious 
also, that the Lord God might dwell among 
them." 

" To whom does this verse refer ?" 

Constance. It must refer to Christ, for it 
is quoted in Ephesians as a prophecy of 
Christ's ascension. 

" This seems, at first sight, a very sudden 
change of the subject; but there are several 
links that unite it with the matter in hand. 
Can you see any of them?" 

Kenneth. David had just spoken of angels 
being on Sinai and on Zion: did not this 
make him think of angels attending Christ 
at his ascension ? 

" Very possibly. At all events, we may 
be reminded of it, whether the Psalmist 

22 



254 KENNETH FORBES. 



thought of it or not. Constance, what 
answer were you going to give ?" 

Constance. I thought perhaps as the ark 
was then going up to Mount Zion, that 
might make David think about Christ's 
going up to heaven. 

" Well, that is not unlikely. You have 
mentioned the ideas that lie just on the sur- 
face. But there is a much closer connec- 
tion, which lies a good deal deeper. Your 
reasons have more to do with the fancy ; 
but the one I will point out to you is founded 
on an important truth. I think the chief 
reason why this verse was brought in is to 
be found in the last clause of it : — ' that the 
Lord God might dwell among them.' The 
ark was just being taken up to Mount Zion, 
and there the Lord was to manifest his pre- 
sence. But how could a holy God dwell 
with sinful men ? Only through the finished 
work of Christ the Saviour. If Jesus had 
not come, or if he had left his work half 
done, God could not have dwelt with men. 
"What w^ere the proofs that Christ's was a 
finished work, and a work accepted by 
God?" 

Kenneth. His resurrection and ascension. 



THE OCCASION. 255 



"Just so. It was because of Christ's as- 
cending up on high, and receiving gifts for 
men, even for the rebellious also, that 
Jehovah was able to dwell among them." 

Ella. But, mother, why does it say, u Thou 
hast ascended," when Christ had not yet 
come ? 

"David here speaks as the prophets often 
did. He looks far forward, and then ex- 
presses himself as if he were living in that 
future day. The thing was so plainly re- 
vealed to him that he spoke of it as if it 
had already happened. He was as sure it 
would happen as if it had already come to 
pass. And, besides, God was treating his 
people as if it had happened. It was an 
event so certain that its results were already 
in a measure enjoyed. God did not wait 
till Christ's ascension, but even in the pros- 
pect of it he already dwelt with men. How 
did the Psalmist express his gratitude for 
this?" 

Ella. "Blessed be the Lord, who daily 
loadeth us with benefits, even the God of 
our salvation." 

" There is much to think of in that verse. 
'Blessed be the Lord, who daily — loadeth 



256 KENNETH FORBES. 



— us — with benefits;' — and that, because he 
is 'the God of our salvation/ the God who 
saves us through Jesus Christ, rebellious as 
we have been. How did David show that 
he loved to think of God by this name ?" 

Kenneth. He spoke of it again in the next 
verse : — " He that is our God is the God of 
salvation ; and unto God the Lord belong 
the issues from death." 

"Do all men accept God's salvation?" 
Constance. ~No : some continue to rebel 
against him ; and it says here that he will 
punish them : — "But God shall wound the 
head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of 
such an one as goeth on still in his tres- 
passes." 

"For whose benefit does he do this ?" 
Kenneth. For his people. " The Lord 
said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will 
bring my people again from the depths of 
the sea ; that thy foot may be dipped in the 
blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of 
thy dogs in the same." 

" God would appear for them again as 
gloriously as ever, and still make them vic- 
torious over their foes. "Whoever those foes 
might be, and wherever they might hide 



THE OCCASION. 257 



themselves, whether on the top of Bashan, 
or in the lowest ocean-cave, God's justice 
would overtake them and would cause his 
people to triumph over them. We have 
now ended the second part of the Psalm. 
At the twenty- fourth verse, the removal of 
the ark is referred to the third time." 

Constance, " They have, seen thy goings, 
God ; even the goings of my God, my 
King, in the sanctuary." 

" These words would be very suitably 
sung as the ark was being placed within 
the tent. It was not the ark alone that 
entered, but with it the presence of God 
between the cherubim upon the mercy-seat. 
The King of Glory was taking possession 
of his chosen residence on earth. jSTo won- 
der that the event was celebrated by a re- 
joicing nation. How is the procession de- 
scribed ?" 

Mia. " The singers went before, the 
players on instruments followed after; 
among them were the damsels playing 
with timbrels." 

" What were they exhorting each other 
to do?" 

Kenneth. " Bless ye God in the congrega- 



258 KENNETH FORBES. 



tions, even the Lord, from the fountain of 
Israel." From the fountain of Israel ! What 
does that mean ? 

"Tell me what it is in the margin." 

Constance. " Ye that are from the fountain 
of Israel." 

"That means, 6 Ye who are descended 
from Israel.' It just answers to the ' con- 
gregations' in the first clause ; and shows us 
that it is God's own people who are called 
to praise him. Which of the tribes are 
specially named as having joined the pro- 
cession ? 

Ella. " There is little Benjamin with 
their ruler, the princes of Judah and their 
council; the princes of Zebulun, and the 
princes of Haphtali." 

"These are named only as examples; but 
the others were doubtless present. Benja- 
min was the youngest, Judah had the birth- 
right ; but neither the greatness of the one, 
nor the littleness of the other, excused them 
from attending. Benjamin and Judah were 
nearest to Mount Zion, Zebulun and Naph- 
tali were farthest off; but, far or near, all 
the tribes were interested in it. To whom 



THE OCCASION. 259 



does David ascribe the success and joy of 
that day?" 

Kenneth. " Thy God hath commanded thy 
strength." 

" And how does he ask God to further 
that work?" 

Kenneth " Strengthen, O God, that which 
thou hast wrought for us." 

"Had he any assurance that the work of 
that day would be thus furthered ?" 

Constance. Yes: he could say, " Because 
of thy temple at Jerusalem, shall kings 
bring presents unto thee." 

" The tent or tabernacle was to give place 
to the temple ; and then many would will- 
ingly come and offer presents within its 
glorious walls. But what would become of 
those who refused to submit?" 

Kenneth. u Rebuke the company of spear- 
men, the multitude of the bulls with the 
calves of the people, till every one submit 
himself with pieces of silver ; scatter thou 
the people that delight in war." 

" They should be compelled to yield an 
unwilling subjection. How far would the 
fame of the temple be spread?" 

Ella. "Princes shall come out of Egypt: 



260 KENNETH FORBES. 



Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands 
unto God." 

" This came exactty true. Many an 
Egyptian prince was glad to form an alliance 
with the kings of Israel; and many an 
Ethiopian became a proselyte to the Jewish 
faith. The four concluding verses sum up 
the whole with renewed praise, — praise in 
which not only Israel, but all the kingdoms 
of the earth are invited to join." 

Constance. " Sing unto God, ye kingdoms 
of the earth ; sing praises unto the Lord, 
to him that rideth upon the heaven of 
heavens which were of old; lo, he doth 
send out his voice, and that a mighty voice. 
Ascribe ye strength unto God ; his excellency 
is over Israel, and his strength is in the 
clouds. O God, thou art terrible out of thy 
holy places ; the God of Israel is he that 
giveth strength and power unto his people. 
Blessed be God." 

Kenneth. I am sure I shall never forget 
that this Psalm was made for the removing 
of the ark. 

Ella. I think I shall look for the title, 
whenever I read a Psalm ; it is so pleasant 
to know when it was written, and why. 



THE OCCASION. 261 



"Now tell me which verse in this whole 
Psalm is the most important." 

Constance. The eighteenth, because that 
is about Christ. 

" That verse is like the foundation on 
which the whole Psalm rests ; since Jesus is 
the foundation on which all a sinner's hopes 
rest. I was telling you, that but for the 
promise of Christ's ascending up on high, 
the Jews would have had no ark, no mercy- 
seat, no prayer-hearing God, among them. 
And it is the same with you. But for 
Christ's work, you would have been without 
hope. It should make you and me very 
thankful to know that Jesus ascended into 
heaven as a conqueror and received gifts 
for men. Paul tells us what he did with 
these gifts: he 'gave' them not to angels, 
but to ' men ;' not to the righteous, but even 
to ' the rebellious.' Do you remember what 
gifts Paul mentions as having been thus 
given?" 

Constance. " He gave some apostles, some 
prophets, some evangelists, some pastors 
and teachers." 

"Very right. These were gifts for the 
entire church. But there are others which 



262 KENNETH FORBES. 



he bestows on men individually, now that 
he is risen to God's right hand. These 
gifts are repentance, forgiveness and the 
influences of the Spirit.* These are gifts 
you need. Do not forget that Jesus has 
received them for 3^011 : shall he have re- 
ceived them in vain ? He is waiting to 
give them to you : shall he wait in vain ? 
Or are you willing to accept them ? Re- 
member they are 'gifts' offered without 
money and without price, — gifts offered even 
to the rebellious ; and therefore nothing, 
nothing will hinder you from sharing in 
them, except your own rejection of God's 
mercy." 

* Acts v. 31 ; John xvi. 7. 



THE ANALOGY OF FAITH. 263 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE ANALOGY OF FAITH: OR, SIN COVERED. 

"Vb have been looking at the titles of 
ever so many Psalms," said Ella. "Shall we 
tell you them ?" 

"Not to-day," was Mrs. Forbes's reply; 
" as this is Kenneth's last morning with us, 
I want you to try and count up the number 
of ways in which we have lately been study- 
ing the Bible. Begin from the day we had 
the story of King Joash. Count the narra- 
tive as the first." 

Kenneth. Then the next day we had Word 
by "Word ; the third was taking a single 
Clause ; then the fourth, Parallelisms ; and 
the fifth, Contrasted Clauses. I think that 
was all we had about clauses. 

Constance. Yes : then the Single Verse, 
like an Oasis, was the sixth ; Parallel Verses, 
seventh; Contrasted Verses, eighth. What 
came next? 

Kenneth. The Connection,— that makes 



264: I KENNETH FORBES. 



nine; then the Prophecies and Types, — ten, 
eleven; — the Scope, twelve ; and then the 
one we had yesterday, about noticing ivhen 
the words were written. 

Mia. That makes thirteen. Oh, what a 
number ! Are there any more '! 

" There is only one more that I wish to 
tell you about at present. It has rather 
a hard name given to it. It is called 
explaining a passage ' according to the 
analogy of faith/ The word 'analogy' 
means a likeness as to proportion. "We 
speak, you know, of a building as being of 
good proportions, when, on comparing all 
its different parts, we find that they suit 
each other in size and shape. Some of the 
rooms are smaller, and some larger; but 
each is fitted for its own purpose, and at 
the same time fitted for the house of which 
it forms a part. In the same way, the truths 
of the Bible are all connected. Some things 
are repeated more frequently, and others 
are mentioned with only a few T passing 
hints ; but there is a proportion, a fitness, 
which is never forgotten. Now, tell me, 
would it be right to judge of the size of a 
house by going only into one of the attics?" 



THE ANALOGY OF FAITH. 265 



Constance. Oh, no, mother, — because those 
are always the smallest rooms, and gene- 
rally they are not wanted to be large. 

"If you were choosing a house, then, 
you would go into all the rooms and com- 
pare them together before you decided. So 
it should be in our study of God's word. 
We must not come to a rash, conclusion 
from any one passage, but w 7 e must com- 
pare it with other passages to see how it 
agrees, and harmonizes, and squares in 
with them. I will give you an example or 
two. When we read that the Lord 'will 
by no means clear the guilty' and 'will not 
at all acquit the wicked/ are we altogether 
to despair of forgiveness?" 

Constance. No : because God has promised 
to blot out sin for Christ's sake. 

"And when he gives us his gracious 
offers of pardon, are we to conclude that 
all men will be saved?" 

Kenneth. No ; for he has said that the 
wicked shall be cast into hell. 

"Then, to abide by the analogy of faith, 
we must take the promises and the threat- 
enings together. If we look at either of 
them alone, we arc judging unfairly, — w r e 



266 KENNETH FORBES. 



are taking an incorrect view of the truth, 
instead of examining it as a whole, and 
marking the relation and proportion of its 
parts." 

Constance. Is it not the same as to what 
Paul says about a man's being saved by 
faith only, and what James says about faith 
being dead without works ? 

"Yes; it is necessary that we should 
take both those statements together. Paul 
did not mean that works were useless ; and 
James did not mean that works would help 
to procure our salvation. By comparing 
the two we get at the whole truth; we 
learn that we are saved by faith in Christ 
alone, but that faith in him will always 
show itself in holiness. Now that you 
understand from these examples what I 
mean, we will just apply our new rule to a 
verse that I have chosen for to-day's lesson. 
Turn to 1 Peter iv. 8." 

Kenneth. "And above all things have 
fervent charity among yourselves ; for 
charity shall cover the multitude of sins." 

A shade suddenly passed over the coun- 
tenances of our young friends. It was 
rarely that the choice of a subject brought 



THE ANALOGY OF FAITH. 267 



with it any thing of sadness. But it so 
happened that on the previous evening 
some trifling cause had provoked a dispute 
between two of them. It is not needful to 
tell what it was, nor how it was. Mrs. 
Forbes was grieved, when she returned to 
the room, to find them quarrelling; and 
this was not a thing she could let go by un- 
noticed. The words which passed clearly 
showed that, whoever had been the first to 
blame, both the children were now in fault. 
She therefore sent each into a room alone, 
begging them both to think quietly over what 
had occurred. In half an hour, when the 
first bell began to ring for evening prayer, 
she went up-stairs, called them to her own 
room, and turned to these words of Christ: 
— "If thou bring thy gift to the altar and 
there rememberest that thy brother hath 
aught against thee, leave there thy gift 
before the altar, and go thy way : first be 
reconciled to thy brother, and then come 
and offer thy gift." (Matt. v. 23, 24.) Hav- 
ing read this, Mrs. Forbes rose to obey the 
renewed summons of the bell. Her hint 
was understood. This text out of God's 
own book had been well explained to them 



268 KENNETH FORBES. 



in times past ; and it was not now listened 
to in vain. Before their mother closed the 
door they had begun to ask each other's 
forgiveness ; and when she reached the par- 
lour she was glad to see her now-reconciled 
children following hand in hand. It w'as 
in the hope of deepening their sense of sin, 
and helping them to avoid the same fault 
in future, that she had chosen the text for 
Tuesday's lesson. While, however, con- 
science instantly reminded them of their 
guilt, the sadness soon passed off. They 
were both wishing to do better in time to 
come, and they were glad to think that 
their resolutions might be strengthened by 
what would be said on such a verse. 

"I see," said Mrs. Forbes, "that you 
understand the precept you have just read. 
I need not explain to you that the charity 
here spoken of is not the mere outward act 
of kindness, but the inward spirit of love. 
The closing words are what we shall have 
to examine. We are told that this charity 
(or love) shall cover the multitude of sins; 
and the questions at once arise, Whose sins 
does charity cover ? and, How does it cover 
them?" 



THE ANALOGY OF FAITH. 269 



Constance. It cannot mean our own sins, 
because nothing but the blood of Jesus can 
wash them away. 

"You are right. The most costly sacri- 
fices, the most lavish alms-giving, the most 
self-denying charity, would be unavailing 
to purchase our forgiveness. Christ's death 
is the sole ground of a sinner's pardon. 
Nothing but the robe of Christ's righteous- 
ness can cover the stains which sin has left 
upon our souls." 

Kenneth And we cannot make other 
people's sins to be blotted out, either. 

"ISTo: we can no more atone for others 
than for ourselves. So you see that if we 
were to look at this text as declaring that 
our spirit of love could purchase peace with 
God, either for ourselves or for those around 
us, it would immediately strike us as quite 
out of keeping w^ith all the rest of Scrip- 
ture. It would seem to stand by itself; it 
would appear like a deformity; and we 
should see at once that we have not ex- 
plained it according to the analogy of faith. 
We must seek, therefore, to find out the 
true meaning of the words, — that meaning 
which will fit in with the other statements 

23* 



270 KENNETH FORBES. 



of the Bible. See whether you gain any 
light by consulting Proverbs x. 12." 

Ella. " Hatred stirreth up strifes ; but 
love covereth all sins." Those are nearly 
the same words as what you are explaining. 

" That verse in Proverbs will help us by 
the fine contrast which it brings before us. 
It begins with a case in which some petty 
strife is just smouldering away, likely to be 
forgotten, on the point of dying out, when 
the spirit of hatred, instead of letting mat- 
ters rest thus quietly, rakes up the old 
offence, stirs it to a quarrel, fans it to a 
flame, and then feeds it till it becomes a 
blaze. But we are then told of another 
case, one in which there is present injury, 
real and great, — so real as to deserve the 
name of sm, and so great as to have become 
even a multitude of sins ; yet here the spirit 
of love is described as gently stepping for- 
ward and with kind hands throwing a veil 
over the whole, so as to hide it even from 
her own view. Can you tell me now whose 
sins are spoken of by Peter?" 

Kenneth. The sins of those who have done 
us any wrong. 



THE ANALOGY OF FAITH. 271 



"Are those sins spoken of as committed 
against God or against man V' 

Constance. Against man. 

"And what covering of these injuries is 
referred to?" 

Kenneth. Their being forgiven and for- 
gotten by those against whom they were 
done. 

"Precisely. You have now found a 
meaning to those words which must be the 
right one. It suits the connection, for it 
shows the good effects of having that ' fer- 
vent charity' which Peter was recommend-, 
ing. And it is also according to the ana- 
logy of faith, because it answers to what the 
Bible elsewhere teaches us about the ad- 
vantages of a meek and loving disposition. 
There is something very beautiful in this 
idea of love, as covering a multitude of sins. 
It shows us how very easily strife may be 
avoided. In the book of Judges we meet 
with two remarkable incidents which teach 
this. The one teaches it by way of example, 
and the other by way of warning. You 
will find the first in chapter viii. 1-3. 
Giaeon had gone out with his little band 
of three hundred men, and had defeated 



272 KENNETH FORBES. 



the large army of the Midianites; but he 
could not consider his victory complete till 
the princes of Miclian had been captured; 
and for this purpose he called in the help 
of the men of Ephraim, who slew Oreb and 
Zeeb and thus put a finishing-stroke, to the 
work. But these same Ephraimites chose 
to take high ground. They w r ere not con- 
tent to play second to others, — not they. 
< Why hast thou served us thus,' they asked, 
' that thou calledst us not when thou wentest 
to fight with the Midianites ?' and ' they did 
chide with him sharply.' But what was 
Gideon's reply?" 

Constance. He said, " What have I done 
now in comparison with you? Is not the 
gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better 
than the vintage of Abiezer? God hath 
delivered into your hands the princes of 
Midian, Oreb and Zeeb ; and what was I 
able to do in comparison of you?" 

" Gideon did not even defend himself 
from the charge. He just passed it by; he 
threw the mantle of love over their jealousy 
and their complaints. Instead of stirring 
up strife, he turned it away by his soft 
answer. And a wise answer it was, too. 



THE ANALOGY OF FAITH. 278 



He was able to pay them a truthful compli- 
ment ; and he hastened to do so. He spoke 
humbly of himself and his own work, while 
he spoke highly of them and of their suc- 
cess. No wonder that c their anger was 
abated towards him when he had said that.' 
You will find a very different event re- 
corded at the beginning of the twelfth 
chapter. " 

Kenneth. Oh, it was the Ephraimites 
again. What a quarrelsome set they must 
have been ! 

"Not only so, but the ground of their 
complaint was as nearly as possible the 
same. Jephthah had just conquered the 
Ammonites without their help ; and they 
fancied themselves slighted. Thev were 
still as important in their own eyes as they 
had been in Gideon's days. And they said, 
' Wherefore passedst thou over to fight 
against the children of Ammon, and didst 
not call us to go with thee ? We will burn 
thine house upon thee with fire.' What 
course did Jephthah pursue ?" 

Mia. "And Jephthah said unto them, 
I and my people were at great strife with 
the children of Ammon ; and when I called 



274 KENNETH FORBES. 



you ye delivered me not out of their 
hands." 

"He began to upbraid them in return. 
Very possibly it was a just charge he laid 
at their door ; but it would have been more 
generous and more prudent if he had co- 
vered their sins. His 'grievous words' 
only stirred up their pride more fiercely; 
and the dispute ended in a battle that cost 
the lives of forty-two thousand men ! Re- 
member, my children, that it always takes 
two people to make a quarrel. You have seen 
how ready the men of Ephraim were for 
contention. Gideon would have none of 
it, and with him the contest became im- 
possible. Jephthah was drawn into dis- 
pute ; and the strife of words ended in the 
strife of swords. Which was the nobler of 
the two, — Gideon or Jephthah?" 

"Gideon," cried Kenneth and his sisters 
at once. 

a You may apply to him the words of 
Proverbs xvi. 32." 

Ella. "He that is slow to anger is better 
than the mighty; and he that ruleth his 
spirit than he that taketh a city." 

" Gideon's rule over his own spirit was 



THE ANALOGY OF FAITH. 275 



a more noble victory than liis conquest of 
the Midianites. When charity thus covers 
the multitude of sins, it is not only a lovely 
and a prudent thing, but an honourable 
thing as well. It is important for you to 
recollect this. Many a quarrel is kept up, 
just because people imagine that their ho- 
nour will not be maintained if they let an 
injury go unnoticed: they think it would 
be beneath their dignity to take the first 
step towards a reconciliation. But the 
Bible pronounces a different judgment: 
look at Proverbs xx. 3." 

Constance. "It is an honour for a man to 
cease from strife." 

"Look also at the eleventh verse of the 
chapter before." 

Mia. " The discretion of a man deferreth 
his anger ; and it is his glory to pass over a 
transgression." 

" It may well be his glory ; for it is more 
difficult and more dignified to pass over an 
offence than to dwell upon it. I hope, 
Kenneth, you will bear this in mind, now 
that you are going to school. Perhaps 
among your new companions you may 
often hear meekness pronounced to be a 



276 KENNETH FORBES. 



mean and cowardly thing, while proud 
words will be commended as signs of a 
noble spirit. Such may be the world's 
opinion ; but in these texts you have God's 
decision on the matter. It is He who says 
that it is an honour for a man to cease from 
strife." 

Kenneth. I will try to remember where 
those verses are : — Proverbs xix. 11, and 
xx. 3. 

"We must close now, after one little 
word by way of help. If you wish to have 
this ' fervent charity,' the first an# best 
thing for you to do is to seek a sense of par- 
doned sin. "When you know that your own 
sins have all been covered and that God 
imputes not your iniquities to you, then 
you will have a stronger motive to cover 
the sins of others. "When you feel how 
God has borne with you, you will be ready 
to imitate him. When you think how 
freely you have been forgiven your large 
debt, you will find it easier to forgive the 
far smaller trespasses committed against 
yourself. A deep and constant sense of 
pardoned sin will help to keep you always 
calm. "When you are fully and habitually 



THE ANALOGY OF FAITH. 277 



at peace with. God, you will not be easily 
put out by trifles ; but your mind will be 
like the smooth and glassy lake, which can- 
not be moved into a ripple by ' the stir of an 
insect's wing.' " 

In the dusk of the evening, Mrs. Forbes 
sat with her children around her, awaiting 
theit father's return from business. After 
having talked for a while about Kenneth's 
new prospects, his mother told him she had 
placed in his trunk a Bible like the one she 
had given Constance. 

" Thank you again and again, mother, — 
a thousand thanks !" was his joyous ex- 
clamation. 

"I hope you will read it, my dear boy?" 
she said, in a gentle but impressive man- 
ner. 

a Yes; that I will," he impetuously re- 
plied; "and I will read it in all the dif- 
ferent ways you have told us about." 

"I trust you will, — with pleasure and 
with profit. But, above all, remember that 
there are two ways of studying the Bible 
more important than any of these : — I mean, 
studying it with prayer and with self-exa- 
mination. Bead it with an earnest wish for 

24 



278 KENNETH FORBES. 



God's blessing and with an honest endea- 
vour to apply its truth to your own heart, 
and then you will indeed love it. Then 
you will be ready to adopt the words which 
an old South Sea Islander uttered last year 
when he first received from Mr. Buzzacott 
a copy of the entire Bible in his own lan- 
guage : — 'My brethren and sisters/ he said, 
' this is my resolve : the dust shall never 
cover my new Bible ; the moths shall never 
eat it ; the mildew shall never rot it. My 
light! My joy!'" 



THE END. 



SUNDAY-SCHOOL REQUISITES. 



LIBRARIES. 

The attention of Sunday-school Teachers and Superintendents 
is invited to the large and varied assortment of 

LIBRARY BOOKS 

published by the American Sunday-School Union. The publica- 
tion of suitable Books for the Library has always been a promi- 
nent feature in the work of the Society ; its Library books now 
number about nine hundred, among which will be found various 
grades of books, some suited for the youngest scholar in the 
school, others for the more advanced, and many for the Bible- 
class scholar and teacher. Among these are many valuable 
books of reference, which have assisted thousands of teachers 
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narratives bearing on sacred truth. These books are written in 
pleasant style, especially for the purpose for which they are 
published. They are not religious novels, or trifling works of 
fiction. They all contain religious truth, conveyed on the great 
principles on which the Society is established. 

The whole set of the Library Books of the American Sunday- 
School Union is as complete a library as any school can have. 
The number is constantly increased by the publication of a new 
book every week. 

LIBB, ABIES of different sizes, and for different objects, are 
furnished as follows : 

SMALL LIBRARIES. 

The Child's Cahinet Library, containing seventy-five 
books, bound in fifty volumes, 32mo size, morocco backs, 
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at the rate of 5 cents per volume. 

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hundred and thirty little books, in fifty volumes, 48 pages 
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and neatly put up in a box or case, and only $3.50 for the 
Library. 

THE VELLAOE AND FAMILY LIBRARIES. 

This series, with the exception of a few reprints, is original, 
from the pens of authors of ability in their respective depart- 
ments of literature and science. Popular, in style ; so that, in- 
stead of being limited to one class of the community, they may 
be acceptable generally. Scriptural, in the principles in whicb 
the}' are written. Portable, that they may serve as "hand- 
books" abroad and at home. Each volume contains 192 pages, 
in a good, bold type, and occasionally Illustrated with En- 
gravings. They are done up in sets of 24 volumes each, uni- 



forml y bound, with muslin backs, at $3 per set, or 12| cents each, 

under the title of — 

The Village and Family Library, No. 1, containing 
the monthly volumes published concurrently with the Lon- 
don Religious Tract Society, 192 pages 18mo. Price, $3. 

Tlie Village and Family Library, No. 2 ; 24 volumes 
for $3. Published as above. 

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FIVE DOLLAR LIBRARIES. 

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12 catalogues of the same. Only $5. 

TEN DOLLAR LIBRARIES. 

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containing 100 select volumes, from 72 to 252 pages 18mo, 
substantially bound, with muslin backs and marbled-paper 
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substantially bound, With muslin backs; each volume 
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same. Only $10. 

The Sunday-School and Family Library, No. 3, 
containing 100 select volumes, from 72 to 288 pages 18mo, 
substantially bound, with muslin backs ; each volume 
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same. Only $10. 

The Sunday-School and Family Library, No. 4, 
containing 100 volumes, none of which are embraced in 
either of the other series. These books range from 60 to 
270 pages each, and comprise some of our most recent illus- 
trated and popular publications. They are uniformly bound, 
with blue muslin backs and gilt letters and stamps, being 
the cheapest and most attractive Sunday-school Library 
published. Only $10. 
Those who do not wish the trouble of selecting their Library 

books can have it judiciously done for them by sending their 

order and giving the quantity of books wanted. 

Send orders to 

THE AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, 

1122 CHESTNUT STKEST, PHILADELPHIA. 



REQUISITES 

FOB SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHERS. 



The American Sunday-School Union publishes a variety of helps 
for Sunday-School teachers and all who are engaged in the studv of 
the Bible. 

AIDS TO THE STUDY OF THE BIBIiE. 

Biblical Antiquities. 

BY THE KEY. JOHN W. NEYIN, D.D. 

This book will be found of great assistance to Sunday-school 
teachers in elucidating the allusions which are so frequent in Biblical 
history, to the Geography, Climate, Customs, and Political Institu- 
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A Question-Book, by the Rev. Edward Neville, D.D., will be found 
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The Mine Explored : 

A Help to the Reading of the Bible. 

This is a companion which no teacher should be without. It gives 
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of interpretation of the Sacred Word. Its scope is entirely diiferent 
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Union Bible Dictionary. 

A complete Biblical Cyclopedia, presenting to the teacher or student 
copious fountains of Biblical knowledge in the simplest and most 
available form. It contains articles on every subject mentioned in 
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1 volume, 692 pages, 18mo, muslin $0 65 

Bound in sheep 75 

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Bound in cloth, 12mo : 1 25 

In antique and extra bindings 2 50 



Union Notes on the Gospels. 

Compiled and Prepared with especial reference to the wants of 

Parents and Sunday-school Teachers. 

BY THE BEY. ROBERT J. PARY'IN, of Leroy, N.Y. 

In two volumes 18mo. Cloth. 



Union Questions. 



This popular series of Question-Books is in 16 volumes. They 
have been circulated all over the country, and have assisted thou- 
sands of teachers in imparting scriptural knowledge to their classes. 

Volume 1. Containing the life and miracles of Jesus Christ. 

Volume 2. Containing the parables and other instructions of Jesus 
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Volume 3. Embracing the creation of the world to the deliverance 
of the children of Israel from Egypt. 

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Volume 5. Containing questions on the Acts of the Apostles. 

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Volume 10. Containing questions on the Epistle to the Romans. 

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Volume 12. Containing lessons designed to give a general view of 
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Volume 13. The Consecutive Union Question-Book. Matthew. 

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Volume 15. The Consecutive Union Question-Book. Luke. 

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The above series furnish a course of instruction for nearly all the 
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One Thousand Questions and Propositions for Sun- 
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1122 CHESTNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA. 



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v. 

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of the Christian Life. 



The Right Choice ; or, The Difference between 
"Worldly Diversions and national Recreations. 

XXVI. 

The Little Guide, and Adrighoole ; or, How to 
be Happy. 

XXVII. 

Nature's School ; or, Lessons in the Garden 
and the Field. 

XXVIII. 

The Bridge Over the Brook, 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: May 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 



